


the dinah jane conspiracy theory

by laurenjauregui



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: F/F, this is dinah centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 07:25:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13049304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurenjauregui/pseuds/laurenjauregui
Summary: Dinah thinks there's something wrong with her best friend, Camila.(A Dinah-centric Camren fic)





	the dinah jane conspiracy theory

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't proof read this

Dinah thinks something is wrong with her best friend.

No, she _knows_ that something is wrong, and she’s known it for months.

Camila is constantly declining invitations to hang out with her and their other two friends, Normani and Ally, when she’s always been the one to organise hangouts and decide what they’re going to do at the weekend. She always looks thoughtful and contemplative during classes and when Dinah sees her around campus, and is elsewhere during conversations.

Dinah thinks she’s depressed. Of course, she’s got to have a bit more evidence to come to a proper conclusion, but she’s at least seventy percent sure that’s what it is. It’s why Camila never does anything and has stopped her stupid jokes during their conversations. It’s why she’s always on her phone instead of talking. It’s why she’s never at the house the four friends share, and when she is, she’s hiding in her room. Apparently depression makes people cut themselves off, so that’s clearly what she’s doing.

Dinah is incredibly worried, but every time she tries to talk to her best friend, Camila assures her nothing is wrong. Just ten minutes ago, she’d done that.

“Mila,” Dinah sighs, sick of the way Camila is sat on her phone, completely isolated even though she’s with three others. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

Camila looks up in surprise; it clearly takes a few moments for Dinah’s words to click in her head. “I’m fine, DJ. Don’t worry.”

Dinah sighs. It’s the same answer every time. She wants to push for more answers, but Normani sends her a stern look and she keeps her mouth shut. While Dinah has a more hands-on approach, Normani thinks it’d be better to do some more careful observation.

“Well…” Dinah sighs, “want me to walk you to class?”

“Yeah,” Camila nods, stuffing her phone into her pocket. “Let’s go.”

Dinah follows Camila in the direction of her next class, away from Normani and Ally. “Are you seriously going to keep whatever is up with you a secret?”

Camila frowns. “There’s nothing wrong. Stop worrying, Dinah.”

 _Stop worrying_. It’s what everyone is telling her. But when her best friend is closing herself off and pulling away from her, she’s going to worry.

“Fine,” Dinah huffs, turning a corner and bumping into someone, knocking them back. She starts to apologise, but looks up and meets the irritatingly bright green eyes of Lauren Jauregui and swallows her words. “Actually, I’m not sorry.”

“Really, Hansen? Still pissed about me being superior to you?” Lauren smirks at her. “You’ve really got to get over yourself.”

“Fuck you, Jauregui,” Dinah scoffs, pushing past Lauren purposely and pulling a stunned Camila with her. “God, I hate her so much.”

Camila stays mute, and after a few minutes have passed, she lets out an awkward cough. “Um, I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll see you at home, okay?”

Dinah frowns as Camila turns tail and disappears. “Uh, okay…”

She sighs, realising again what this is – Camila is pulling away from her. _Fuck_ waiting, she decides. _I’m getting the girls together and we’re going to find out what Camila is hiding. Whether she likes it or not_.

-

“This is ridiculous.”

“It’s not,” Dinah insists. “We need to know what she’s doing.”

“Dinah, Mila is fine,” Ally says, “she’s just stressed because of school. You know her parents put pressure on her since she’s smart, and she wants to impress them.”

“I can’t believe you guys aren’t listening to me.” Dinah huffs. “Don’t you care about Camila?”

“Clearly we do,” Normani argues. “We just know she’s okay. It’s school stress and we all cope with that in different ways.”

“School stress?” Dinah scoffs. “No. It’s not _school stress_. I was with her for the entire exam period last year. I was the one she’d call when she was stressed. She wouldn’t pull away from me like this. She’s hiding something and we’re going to figure out what it is.”

“Ally, tell her she’s being ridiculous,” Normani sighs. “I’m not hiding in a fucking _bush_ outside Mila’s work all night. Because we _will_ be stuck here all night. She started those extra hours on a Friday, remember?”

“And if she’s hiding something, those _extra hours_ were probably a lie,” Dinah theorises, staring at the door to the restaurant Camila waitresses at. “We’ll catch her.”

Ally and Normani exchange a look. Finally, Ally sighs. “It’s a Friday night, Dinah. We want to go and do something. Maybe we can go in and let her know we’re making plans and she can join us when she clocks out. You can interrogate her all you want there.”

“No, you’ll blow our cover,” Dinah points out with an eye roll. “You can’t just- hey, _Mani,_ get back here!”

Dinah scowls as Normani walks straight through the door to the restaurant and right up to Camila’s manager, another bored college student who couldn’t care less about her job.

After a few moments of talking to the manager, Normani smiles and turns away, and the door shuts behind her. _Great_ , Dinah thinks. _She’s blown our cover and didn’t even get a result._

“Come on, we’re going back to the car,” Normani says when she comes to a stop next to Dinah and Ally. With Ally’s help, she drags Dinah back to Ally’s car and makes sure she stays put in the passenger seat before walking around to the back. “Alright. Let’s go to the nearest party and get Dinah drunk so she calms down.”

“I don’t need to calm down,” Dinah rolls her eyes. “Besides, I can’t get drunk. A hangover will affect my performance in _everything_ and I’ve _got_ to beat Jauregui.”

Ally just shakes her head. “Are you ever going to let that rivalry go? I know she beats you out a lot, and she doesn’t have the… nicest reputation, but isn’t it tiring to hate someone like that?”

“No, it’s not tiring at all,” Dinah says, “besides, she doesn’t deserve me being civil towards her. You know how she treats everyone else. _And_ trying to distract me with Jauregui isn’t going to stop me from staking out Walz. So, Mani, what’d her manager say?”

Normani lets out a long, exasperated sigh, but explains. “Well, I asked where Mila would be, because I couldn’t see her around, so I figured she’d be on a break. Her manager said she’s not working tonight. That she never works Fridays.”

That does _nothing_ to comfort Dinah. “What? But- she only ever goes to work, school, or hangs out at home. Where the hell is she?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask,” Normani holds her hands up in defence. “It’s not like the manager would know. Maybe she’s hanging out with those girls from a couple of her classes.”

“She wouldn’t hide that from me.” Dinah points out. “You’ve got to admit, it’s a little fishy. She says she’s working on Friday nights but we go to her job and she’s nowhere to be seen? But she _explicitly_ told us she’d be working until late.”

Ally sighs. “I’ve got to admit, you’ve got a point. It is a little weird she lied about that. But that doesn’t mean she’s-”

“Ally, if you’re going to say _it doesn’t mean she’s hiding something_ , you’re an idiot.” Dinah interrupts. “It’s obvious she’s hiding something. Right, Mani? You can’t even deny that.”

“Fine,” Normani eventually relents. “You were right. She’s hiding something.”

“ _Exactly_ ,” Dinah argues, “so we might as well stake her out for a little. If it’s something dangerous… we need to know. She’s our friend, and we’ve got to have her back.”

Again, Normani and Ally exchange a look, but this time it’s accompanied by a nod.  

“Fine, we’ll help you,” Ally eventually replies, “what’s the plan?”

“We go home,” Dinah says, “I know staying home on a Friday night is Mila’s thing, but we need to wait up for her. If she gets in late, she’ll be tired, and we can interrogate her that way. It’ll be easier to get something out of her if she’s tired.”

Eventually, Normani nods, and Ally starts to drive. When they get back to the house, Dinah calls out for Camila, but there’s no response.

So, they wait. Ally and Normani spend the time on their phones or watching TV; Dinah stares out of the window like a hawk. She’s looking for any sign of movement from outside – she finds it hard to believe that _Camila_ is out on a Friday night without her and the other two girls – and if she sees anything that resembles Camila from outside, she’s diving through the window to investigate.

They wait up for hours, but Camila still isn’t home by the time Dinah succumbs to her tiredness and passes out on the couch.

-

Camila blinks in surprise; for a moment, she’d forgotten her surroundings. She rubs at her tired eyes and yawns, her girlfriend’s apartment coming into focus. Turning to her right, she sees her girl asleep on the left side of the bed, the alarm clock on her bedside table reading 3:00AM on the dot. Camila smiles, and settles down to sleep again.

She curls up next to Lauren Jauregui, smiling fondly at her messy hair and pouted lips, and the way her chest rises and falls with each shallow breath.

“Sleep well, beautiful,” Camila murmurs against her girlfriend’s skin. “I love you.”

She yawns again and lays her head against the pillow, taking Lauren’s limp, warm hand in hers, and gets ready to go back to sleep. After a few, quiet moments, Lauren nuzzles against her sleepily. “I love you too.”

“What’re you doing up?” Camila laughs, kissing Lauren’s cheek, her skin warm from sleep. “Go back to sleep, silly.”

“Could say the same to you,” Lauren murmurs, green eyes flickering open. “You’re all awake and lively.”

Camila shakes her head. “Not for long. Come here.”

Lauren shifts, her arm splayed across Camila’s tummy, her face buried in her neck. Camila smiles, and Lauren moves her legs, so they’re across Camila’s, and she wraps her arms around Lauren’s torso.

“You comfy?” Lauren mumbles, clearly half asleep. “I am.”

“Yeah, I’m comfy, babe.” Camila assures her, running her fingers through Lauren’s messy hair. “I really enjoyed the movie last night.”

Lauren laughs sleepily. “You barely had your eyes open.”

Camila rolls her eyes. “ _Fine_ , I enjoyed hiding in your shoulder while _you_ watched it. It was nice to be the little spoon for once.”

“Yeah, well, that’s still my position,” Lauren mumbles, but Camila can tell she’s slightly more awake than before.

The laptop that was previously laying to the side of them is still on, playing the menu for the last movie they’d watched; _A Nightmare on Elm Street._ It’d toppled over during the night, probably because of how much they’d moved around in their sleep. Clearly they’d fallen asleep halfway through and forgotten to shut it off, but that’s okay, because it’s not like Lauren has roommates to annoy.

(Next year she will, but Camila doubts Lauren will ever find a way to annoy her when they’re living together.)

“I didn’t think you were sleeping over,” Lauren murmurs, sitting up and closing her laptop, placing it on her bedside table. “But I guess that’s a nice surprise for me to wake up to.”

After a few peaceful moments, Lauren’s words click in her head. “ _Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”_

Lauren sits, puzzled, as Camila jumps out of bed and starts grabbing her clothes from the floor. “What’s wrong?”

“The girls!” Camila exclaims, shaking her head. “I told them I’d be working and the restaurant doesn’t stay open until _three_! Dinah’s already suspicious and I don’t want her complicating this for now. I have to get back to the house.”

Lauren frowns at her, but gets out of bed too. “Alright. I’ll drop you off.”

“No, no, you can’t,” Camila shakes her head. “You have softball practice in the morning, remember? I can walk. You need your rest.”

Lauren shakes her head, pulling on some sweats and a t-shirt she finds on the floor. “Camila. I’m not letting my girlfriend walk around New York City _alone_ at _three in the morning_. I’m giving you a ride and that’s that.”

Camila sighs. “Lauren, I’m _nineteen years old,_ I-”

“And that makes you a perfect target for whatever sleazy guys are out there at this time of night,” Lauren cuts in. “I’m driving you. That’s final. Besides, I’m already dressed.”

“You’re in sweatpants and a t-shirt that’s at least three times too big for you,” Camila points out. “You’re dressed _for bed_. Which is where you’re going, because I’m going home and you need your rest.”

“Either you let me drive you, or you stay here and think up an excuse to your friends tomorrow.” Lauren says. “Letting you walk home alone isn’t an option. Besides, I pull this look off.”

Finally, Camila cracks a smile. “You pull every look off.”

“Don’t you know it,” Lauren grins, taking Camila’s hand and pulling her towards the door. “Can you sleep over tomorrow?”

“I- I don’t know, Lo,” Camila sighs, staring determinedly down at her laces as she puts her shoes on. “Like I said, Dinah’s getting suspicious. She thinks I’m pulling away from her. And you don’t help things. You said you’d stop provoking her but you haven’t.”

“Look, she’s going to hate me either way,” Lauren shrugs, grabbing her keys as they head out. She locks her apartment door behind them. “I might as well have some fun with it.”

“Laur,” Camila sends her girlfriend a stern look as they head down the stairwell. “Please just try to be nice to her. For me?”

After a few moments of silence, Lauren sighs. “Fine. Goddamn it, I don’t know what you’ve done to me.”

Camila laughs. “I don’t, either. You’re just whipped for me. What happened to the girl that went around breaking hearts? Who _never_ settled down?”

“She never existed and you know that,” Lauren rolls her eyes, and Camila laughs and murmurs _I know, I know_. “I’d love it if you could make it tomorrow night, but I don’t mind if you have to spend it with your friends. I’ll go hang with Alexa.”

“I really want to, Lo.” Camila sighs, “you know that there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I’ll tell the girls I’ve got to study all night and then I’ll sneak out.”

Lauren smiles at her from the driver’s side. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Laur,” Camila beams at her. “And I promise I’ll tell the girls soon. Then we won’t have to sneak around. We can hold hands on campus and have cheesy lunch dates.”

“Camz, take your time,” Lauren tells her. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I can wait.”

Camila sighs. “You’re so good to me.”

“I try,” Lauren smirks at her. “Seriously, though. I need you to be _ready_ to tell them. Don’t just tell them because you think it’ll upset me if you don’t.”

“I know that Ally and Mani would be fine with it,” Camila says, “it’s just Dinah. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tell Dinah.”

Lauren laughs a little. “You know, most people freak out about telling their parents they’re dating someone. The friends are usually the easy part.”

“Well, my parents don’t have a deep-seated rivalry with you,” Camila points out with an eye roll. “Plus, you wouldn’t purposefully push their buttons. You already charmed my parents. You could charm everyone except Dinah.”

“Try not to worry about it,” Lauren tells her, turning onto Camila’s street. “We both know she’s not going to have the best initial reaction. It’s inevitable. And for your sake, I’ll stop messing with her.”

Camila snorts. “You’ve said that plenty of times in the past.”

“I know,” Lauren replies, “but I mean it this time. I promise I won’t do that anymore. I’m _not_ going to let her beat me at any kind of sport, though. That’s where I draw the line.”

Camila laughs. “I know. I don’t expect you to.”

When Lauren pulls up a few houses down, Camila’s eyes widen. The lights are still on. Lauren seems to sense something is off. “Are you okay?”

“The lights are on,” Camila frowns. “The lights are never on at this time. Ally gets upset if I turn the light on when I get a drink in the middle of the night.”

Lauren frowns. “Want me to walk you to the door?”

Camila considers her options. Either risk the girls finding out about her and Lauren, or risk getting stabbed by whatever light-turning-on murderer is in her house right now. Due to her overactive imagination, she chooses the former. “Yes please.”

“Okay,” Lauren nods and shuts the car off, taking the keys out. She walks around the car and opens the door for Camila. “Come on.”

Camila takes Lauren’s hand and walks up the driveway with her. It feels weird, walking up to the house she shares with the girls with her hand in Lauren’s, but she appreciates her girlfriend being there for her.

She unlocks the front door and sighs in relief when she sees the lounge. The girls are all passed out on the couch, the TV still on. _That’s_ why the lights are on.

“Okay,” Camila breathes out a sigh of relief. “I’m good. They just fell asleep watching TV.”

Lauren hums. “Can I sleep over?”

Camila stares at her like she’s just grown another head. “What? That’s crazy, the girls might-”

“Your bedroom door has a lock and I already parked my car down the street. I can climb out of your window in the morning.” Lauren lists off. “Besides… what’s life without a little risk?”

After a few moments, Camila sighs. She _does_ get the best night’s sleep when she’s with Lauren. “Fine. You can sleep over.”

Lauren beams, and quietly slips past her and into the house. It’s strange, seeing Lauren in her house. It’s like her two worlds have suddenly collided.

“My bedroom is over here,” Camila says, taking Lauren’s hand and leading her through the house to her bedroom. She pushes the door open. “You stay in here and stay quiet.”

Lauren rolls her eyes. “You got a bathroom in here?”

“I share one with Ally.” Camila says. “But I’m going to leave the girls on the couch. If I woke them up at three in the morning, fully dressed, it’d be a red flag.”

“Okay, I’m going to go to the bathroom and then get myself comfy in your bed,” Lauren kisses her and walks past her to the bathroom. Camila quickly changes into pyjamas and sits down on her bed, smoothing out the sheets and thanking the lord she actually _made_ it this morning.

She wonders why the girls stayed up so late watching movies. Sure, it’s a Friday, so it’s not like any of them have early classes tomorrow, but normally they’d be out partying. Even if they did have a movie night, they’d be in bed. They wouldn’t have pushed it so far that they fell asleep on the couch.

For a moment, Camila worries. Maybe Dinah has sucked Normani and Ally into her suspicion, and they were waiting up for her. After all, the TV wasn’t on.

It doesn’t take her long to shrug off those thoughts. The TV wasn’t on because Ally had put a timer on it, so it’d shut off when nobody does anything on it after a certain amount of time. Clearly the girls had passed out during a movie, and the timer had gone off, and they weren’t awake to push a button on the remote and keep it on. Plus, Dinah could _never_ pull Normani and Ally into whatever she’s plotting. The other girls think she’s just paranoid.

She’s fine. Camila knows she’s okay deep down, and the girls won’t find out anything unless she tells them. She’s made sure to cover her tracks well.

At the start, she’d worried that dating Lauren would be too complicated. She’d always secretly harboured feelings for the older girl, but she was never going to act on them, mostly because of Dinah. Dinah _hated_ Lauren, and everything Camila had heard about her had come through that filter. It gave her a negative impression of Lauren and she’d sworn to herself she’d never act on any of those feelings.

But Lauren, sweet, caring, gorgeous Lauren, had changed her mind in the course of an _hour_. Everything Camila had decided was thrown out of the window in an hour.

She’s never regretted it. Ever.

“Hey,” Lauren’s soft, raspy voice makes her stomach flutter. “I figure if your friends wake up randomly and I have to make a quick escape, I can flush myself down the toilet. End up in the Ministry of Magic.”

Camila laughs. “I don’t know how I ever found you intimidating.”

Lauren just smiles and crosses the room, taking Camila’s hand. “I’m glad you let me stay.”

“I can’t ever resist you,” Camila murmurs, “besides, we have to take all the time we can get. And you’re right, what’s life without a little risk?”

Lauren kisses her, and Camila feels the whole world slot into place. It was like that the very first time, like nothing else mattered but the two of them. That was how Camila knew she was right in letting herself have Lauren. She was right in letting herself have her soulmate.

“I’ll never get tired of that,” Camila murmurs against Lauren’s lips, “I’m going to make a snack since we forgot dinner amidst our movie marathon. I think you could come with. Dinah and Mani are heavy sleepers, and Ally is when she’s _really_ tired. We could probably chance it.”

“Okay,” Lauren smiles, and Camila takes her hand, leading her to the kitchen. “What snacks do you have?”

Camila appreciates her whispering; they’re quite exposed in the kitchen, and one wrong move could wake the girls up. “Um… we have little microwave pizzas?”

Lauren nods. “Okay. I’ll get the stuff out. Knowing you, you’ll try to be stealthy and end up smashing all the plates. Where do you keep them?”

“Um, the plates are up there,” Camila points to the cupboard they’re kept in. “And the knives to cut the mini pizzas are in that drawer. I can get the pizzas out of the freezer, though.”

“Okay,” Lauren nods, and she gets out the things Camila needs. When the younger Latina puts the pizzas in the microwave, she cringes at the loud _beep_ of the buttons and the hum as it heats the food. “Camz?”

Camila looks up at Lauren. “Yeah?”

“I love you,” Lauren smiles at her and squeezes her hand. “I’m still not over the fact that you’re mine, but-”

“What time is it?”

Camila pushes Lauren down to the floor, and her girlfriend lets out a surprised squeak when she does. “Hi, Ally.”

“Mila?” Ally sits up on the couch, looking around, her eyes falling on Normani and Dinah, who are still passed out. “What’re you doing? What time is it? When did you get in?”

Camila wants to be sarcastic, to shoot back _who are you, my mom_? But that wouldn’t be fair to Ally. So, she smiles and answers her friend’s question, sending an apologetic look towards Lauren, who is on the floor, looking affronted but slightly amused.

“I’m making microwave pizzas,” Camila answers, “it’s around three forty a.m., but I can check for you. And I got in at a little after twelve, when my shift at work finished.”

Something flashes in Ally’s eyes, but Camila doesn’t have time to dwell on it, because _Ally is walking towards the kitchen_. “I know you weren’t at work tonight. Mila, I want to trust you, but-”

“What?” Camila’s eyes widen, and whatever amusement was on Lauren’s face is completely wiped off. Lauren dives behind a counter out of Ally’s sight, but still in Camila’s line of vision. “What do you mean I wasn’t at work?”

“Dinah insisted on following you around. Some weird plan of hers, since she’s worried about you and thinks something is wrong.” Ally explains. “Mani went in and asked your manager where you were, and she said you weren’t there and that you never work Fridays. Admittedly, I’m a little worried about you, too. Why would you lie to us about where you are? Promise me you’re not doing anything dangerous.”

“I’m- I’m not,” Camila isn’t sure how to talk herself out of this one, and glances down at Lauren, who looks concerned. “I’m not doing anything dangerous. I swear it.”

“You can always talk to me,” Ally assures her, “and the other girls. There’s nothing you could say that would make us hate you.”

Camila thinks desperately, but she knows she’d feel so guilty about lying. She knows that if she lied to Ally, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. “If I tell you, you can’t tell Dinah or Mani. _Especially Dinah_.”

Ally frowns, but after a few moments, she nods, and Camila breathes a sigh of relief, but her worries come back a moment later. She knows that Ally won’t approve. She just knows it.

“I have a girlfriend,” Camila murmurs, looking anywhere but Ally _or_ the girlfriend in question. “And- and she means so much to me. She’s my _soulmate_ , Ally.”

The microwave beeps, and Camila looks over at Dinah and Normani, who are thankfully still sleeping.

“Mila, we know that you’re gay. You told us a long time ago,” Ally looks even more concerned than she did earlier. “I’m happy for you and I’m so glad you’ve found your person. I’d love to meet her.”

“Okay, well,” Camila holds her hand out for Lauren, who looks at her uncertainly. Camila nods in encouragement, and after what feels like an eternity, Lauren takes her hand and stands up. “Ally, this is Lauren. She’s my girlfriend. Lauren, this is Ally, one of my best friends.”

Camila cringes at the way Ally’s jaw drops, and how she looks from Lauren to the sleeping Dinah on the couch. Lauren doesn’t seem fazed. She puts on her charming smile and squeezes Camila’s hand comfortingly.

“It’s nice to meet you officially,” Lauren says, and Ally blinks and composes herself. “Like Camila said, I’m Lauren.”

“Uh, yes, um,” Ally turns to Dinah again, and then looks back at Lauren. Her smile is a lot less bright than it usually is. “How long has this… this been going on?”

“About four and a half months.” Lauren answers for the both of them. “Since June.”

“I- I want a _full_ explanation,” Ally points at Camila, “you love her?”

“I love her so much,” Camila murmurs, and Lauren kisses her cheek. “So much.”

“I love you too,” Lauren tells her, and Camila’s heart feels warm. She has Lauren and everything is okay. That’s what she needs to tell herself. “Like Camila said, we’d appreciate if you didn’t mention it to Dinah just yet. You know she doesn’t exactly like me. None of you do, but-”

“I have nothing against you. I don’t know you, so I can’t dislike you, and I know Dinah’s opinions are biased against you,” Ally says, and both Lauren and Camila look up in surprise. “Treat Mila right, and I’d say we’ll be good friends.”

Lauren smiles, and Camila squeals and hugs Ally tight. “You’re the best, Alz.”

Ally hugs her back. “I’ll try my best to distract Dinah and Mani when they’re stalking you. I’ll point them in the wrong direction, give them false leads. But you _will_ have to tell them eventually. All I can do is buy you time.”

“I can tell Mani easy,” Camila says, “it’s just Dinah. It’s always just been Dinah.”

“I’m going to wake them up. They won’t forgive me if I let them sleep on the couch.” Ally says, nodding to Dinah and Normani. “Make your microwave pizzas and hide out in your room. I’ll cover for you.”

“Thank you,” Camila smiles, “so much.”

“Yeah,” Lauren replies, “thanks. Not for my sake, for Camz.”

Camila quickly puts their microwave pizzas on a plate, and tugs Lauren into her room, locking the door and the bathroom one for good measure. Then, she sits down on her bed with a long sigh.

“Hey, that could’ve been worse,” Lauren points out with a small smile, “she was fine with it. She even said she’d cover for you.”

“Yeah,” Camila murmurs, “I’m kind of happy, actually. I was a little upset I couldn’t talk to anyone about you, but now I can gush to Ally about everything.”

“I’m sure she’s going to love that,” Lauren laughs. “Can you film it when you tell Dinah?”

Camila frowns. “Why?”

“Well, I want to see her reaction, because I’m sure while it won’t be good, it’ll be funny,” Lauren says, “but if I’m actually _there_ she might punch me, and I like my face the way it is. So you’re going to need to film it for me.”

“I wouldn’t let her punch you.” Camila assures her. “Because I like your face the way it is, too.”

“That’s _exactly_ why she’d punch me,” Lauren laughs. “Maybe you’d dump me if I was ugly.”

Camila kisses Lauren’s cheek and grabs one of the microwave pizzas from the plate. “It’s not possible for you to be ugly because you have a beautiful soul. That’s the part I love. Your looks are a _really_ amazing bonus though.”

Lauren smiles. “Thanks, nugget. I love all of you too.”

“Why did you try and talk to me?” Camila asks with a frown. “You’ve never said, and you told me you thought I hated you.”

“Well, of course I thought you hated me. Your best friend _literally_ refers to me as her arch nemesis.” Lauren points out with a laugh. “But I liked you. That’s why I talked to you.”

Camila rolls her eyes. “I want the juicy details. Tell me everything that went through your head.”

Lauren laughs. “I don’t remember everything that went through my head. I just remember thinking that if you shot me down, at least I’d be able to say I tried.”

Camila smiles at the memory, and curls up next to Lauren, putting their empty plate on her bedside table. She wraps her arms around her girlfriend, resting her hands on Lauren’s bare tummy where her shirt has ridden up. Lauren buries her face into Camila’s neck.

“Sleepy?” Camila asks, and Lauren nods into her shoulder. “Yeah, me too. Goodnight, Lo.”

“Night, Camz,” Lauren answers her, and Camila feels her girlfriend kiss the crook of her neck before her breathing evens out and she falls asleep.

Camila doesn’t last long after Lauren had fallen asleep, and she falls into the best dream ever.

-

_“Hey.”_

_Camila jumps at the raspy voice. She’s not used to people talking to her in classes, and usually keeps her head down. She assumes maybe they’re talking to someone near her; the last thing she wants is to make a fool of herself._

_Besides, it’s nearly the end of freshman year, and she’s only taking this class for extra credits since she messed up one of her other ones._

_“Um, it’s Camila, right?” The person says, and Camila has no clue why they’d bother talking to her. “Do you mind if I sit here?”_

_Camila looks up, and meets the bright green gaze of Lauren Jauregui. Immediately, she shakes her head. She knows what Lauren is like, all thanks to Dinah. “I- um… that seat’s taken.”_

_“Really?” Lauren raises an eyebrow and looks at the entire row of the lecture theatre Camila has by herself. “Are all of those taken too?”_

_Camila blushes a little. She’s been caught. She knows she doesn’t share any classes with her friends, so she probably looks like a total loner, but Lauren is the last person she wants to sit with her. Dinah has told her enough about how she goes after a girl and then dumps her after she sleeps with her. Dinah has told her how much of a cocky jerk Lauren is. Dinah has told her how Lauren is a total asshole to everyone that isn’t Lauren Jauregui._

_“Um…” Camila shrugs. “Sit wherever you want. I don’t- I don’t own the lecture theatre.”_

_Unfortunately, Lauren takes that as ‘sit next to me’, because she drops her backpack on the desk next to Camila and sits in the seat directly to her right. “So, uh, you know this class isn’t compulsory, right?”_

_“It is for me.” Camila answers curtly, not wanting anything to do with a girl like Lauren. Especially because of Dinah. She knows that Lauren is attractive – honestly, attractive isn’t strong enough a word to describe what Lauren is – but that doesn’t matter if she’s ugly on the inside. “I need to take it to make up credits-”_

_“No, I mean, this particular lecture,” Lauren cuts in, “the lecturer was double booked so it’s cancelled. In her email she said we could use the room to study but class is essentially cancelled.”_

_Camila frowns. “Oh. I didn’t know.”_

_Lauren laughs. “Don’t you check your college email?”_

_Again, Camila blushes embarrassedly. She’s been at college for almost a year and she still struggles with remembering to check her email every day. “Um… I forgot.”_

_“Lucky I was here or you’d be freaking out.” Lauren casually replies, pulling a laptop out of her backpack. “Looks like nobody else is coming.”_

_(Five months later, she’d be cuddled up in bed next to Lauren watching horror movies on that exact same laptop.)_

_Camila checks her phone, seeing that it’s ten past one. Class was supposed to have started ten minutes ago. How could she have not noticed how empty the room was?_

_She shakes it off and decides to keep looking through her notes, ignoring the other girl’s presence for the most part. She’s not going to get involved with someone she’s been warned against._

_“Want a snack?” Lauren asks after a little while, and Camila jumps in surprise. She looks up, and meets Lauren’s entrancing eyes again, and the other Latina flashes her a smile. Camila practically melts._

_(God, she’s so beautiful.)_

_It takes her a second to realise Lauren had asked her a question. “Um, what did you say?”_

_“Oh, I was wondering if you wanted a snack,” Lauren smiles, “I have some leftover pizza slices from dinner last night. You can have one if you want.”_

_Camila stares at the pizza Lauren is unwrapping, and it reminds her that she hasn’t eaten since breakfast. Tuesdays are her longest days on campus, and like the moron she is, she’d forgotten to grab the sandwich she’d bought from the store last night on her way out._

_“Um,” Camila gives the food a last longing stare. “No, thank you. It’s yours, you eat it.”_

_Lauren shakes her head, picks up one of the slices, and tears off a bit of the wrapping foil and pushes a slice to Camila. “I can’t eat more than two slices.”_

_(She later finds out that was a catastrophic lie on Lauren’s part, when on their third date, takeout and movies, she orders two large pizzas and eats all of hers, and the leftover slices from Camila’s.)_

_“Okay,” Camila accepts it and bites into the slice of cold pizza. Even cold and a day old, it’s still good. “Thank you.”_

_“No problem,” Lauren flashes her a smile again and munches on the slice of pizza in her left hand, absently flicking through her notes with the other. “You haven’t been in this class all semester. You’ve just shown up now.”_

_Camila frowns at the observation. When class is on, the lecture hall is packed. She finds it hard to believe Lauren had noticed that. “Um… I had to take this to make up credits. I fucked up an exam last semester and… well, I hated that course and didn’t want to keep doing it so they put me in this last minute. I know it’s for sophomores but it was the only thing that wasn’t full. I’m surprised you noticed.”_

_Lauren smiles. “Hard not to notice a pretty girl like you.”_

_Camila’s face falls. Apparently, Dinah was right. Lauren can’t talk to a girl without hitting on her, and Camila Cabello is not going to be Lauren Jauregui’s next plaything._

_Lauren notices how Camila’s expression drops. “Are you okay?”_

_“Look, um, I appreciate the pizza, really,” Camila wishes she could give it back, but she doesn’t think puking her guts up on a girl is the best thing to do, even if she_ is _trying to get said girl away from her. “But I don’t- I’m the kind of girl who wants a serious thing. I don’t… I don’t just sleep with people for the heck of it, and I’d appreciate it if you left me alone, because I know that’s all you want and that’s why you’re flirting.”_

_Lauren’s smile is completely wiped from her face and she looks down at her feet. “Oh. Um, well, that wasn’t what I was trying to do. I didn’t think you were one to believe rumours, but I guess I was wrong. I’m sorry.”_

_Camila frowns, and at the way Lauren seems to have deflated, she feels a little guilty. Before Lauren can put her books into her backpack, Camila grabs her arm and stops her. “Wait. I’m sorry. You’re… you’re right. I’m really not someone who believes rumours and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made a snap judgement based off what other people have said. Or, you know, assumed you were flirting.”_

_Lauren pauses for a moment, and when Camila releases her arm, she doesn’t pack her things away. Instead, she grabs the last slice of pizza and halves it down the middle. “Here. Consider it a peace offering.”_

_Camila frowns. “You don’t need to give me more pizza, I’m not even hungry.”_

_Her stomach growls at the wrong moment and betrays her. Lauren sends her an amused look. “Sounds like you are. Take it. And, uh, while you weren’t wrong about the flirting, I don’t… I don’t sleep around like people say.”_

_Camila raises her eyebrows. “My friend always tells me stories about how much of a- um, these are her words, but… how much of an_ annoying whore _you are.”_

_Lauren snorts. “I take it you heard that from Hansen?”_

_Camila blushes a little and nods. “Um, yeah. She’s my best friend and she… she really doesn’t like you.”_

_Lauren laughs. “Yeah, well, contrary to popular belief, I’ve only slept with two people before. Both of whom I was dating at the time.”_

_“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Camila says, but she’s a little surprised. Honestly, everything about this entire interaction is crazy to her; Dinah has always said that Lauren only cares about herself. That Lauren is a cocky bitch to everyone who isn’t in her friend group._

_The Lauren that Dinah describes definitely isn’t the one sitting next to her right now._

_“Clearly I do have to explain myself,” Lauren answers, “but that’s okay. I’d rather have to awkwardly explain my sexual escapades than let you have a false version of me in your mind.”_

_Camila frowns, not understanding why Lauren cares so much about what she thinks. “Why does it matter what I think?”_

_Lauren raises her eyebrows. “Are you really that oblivious? I thought you picked up on the flirting.”_

_Camila splutters, not sure what to say to that. Yeah, she’d noticed a little bit of flirting, but she didn’t think it was serious. “I- um… I mean… I thought you were joking.”_

_Lauren laughs. “No, not joking. Honestly, I’ve liked you for a while, but then I found out you were Hansen’s friend, and I figured you wouldn’t want anything to do with me. But I realised we’d be in here alone when I walked in and nobody else was here, so I figured I might as well try. I won’t be offended if you aren’t interested.”_

_Camila stares at her in shock, because someone as hot as Lauren is practically asking her out and she doesn’t know how to comprehend it. She’s just Camila, shy, awkward, dorky Camila, who people see as a little sister. She’s not anybody’s crush, especially not someone like Lauren’s._

_Lauren takes her silence the wrong way. “Oh, god, I just realised that I don’t even know if you like girls. I’m sorry if I weirded you out, I just-”_

_“Lauren,” Camila cuts in, “I- I’m… I’m okay with the flirting.”_

_“Oh,” Lauren pauses in shock. “You are?”_

_“Yeah.” Camila nods. “And I- I’m pretty much the gayest person alive, so…”_

_“Oh,” Lauren repeats. “That’s- that’s good, then.”_

_Camila isn’t used to seeing someone as confident as Lauren so shy. It’s enough to make her think that maybe this is genuine. Maybe Lauren really, truthfully does like her._

_“I kind of… suck at flirting,” Camila says, “so I’m sorry in advance.”_

_“Well, um, we could skip that part,” Lauren offers, and before Camila can react, proposes something else. “Can I take you to dinner one night?”_

_Camila stares at her in shock. The last thing she expected when she dragged herself to her lecture was getting asked on a date. She quickly composes herself and in a split-second decision, nods her head. “Yes. I’d really like that.”_

_Lauren beams at her, and Camila can’t help but smile back. She jots something down in her notebook and tears off the corner of a page, holding it out to Camila. “That’s my phone number. Text me tonight and we’ll decide a time and a day. I’ve already got an idea for a venue.”_

_Camila nods, and puts Lauren’s number in her phone – she’s notorious for losing little scraps of paper – and when she turns back around, Lauren is packing her things away. “Where are you going?”_

_“Class is over,” Lauren points at the clock, “I’ve got another class in five minutes so I’ve got to run. I’ll talk to you later, Camila.”_

_“Yeah,” Camila stares after Lauren as she darts out of the lecture hall, “Talk to you later.”_

-

Camila sits up in bed, rubbing at her eyes. Immediately, she glances over at the clock, and her eyes widen when she sees the time. It’s two in the afternoon and Lauren is still next to her, asleep.

She quickly shakes her girlfriend awake. “Laur! Wake up, you missed practice! You need to call your coach or- or your teammates or-”

Lauren groans and rolls over. “I went to practice.”

“Well, unless you went in a dream, you skipped it,” Camila keeps going, “it’s _two_ in the afternoon. Your Saturday practice is at ten.”

“Mhm,” Lauren’s bright green eyes flicker open and she smiles sleepily. “I climbed out of your window at half past nine, grabbed some things from my house, went to practice – I was a little late and Dinah made sure to point that out – climbed back through your window and went back to sleep. How do you think Nala got here?”

Camila’s eyes zero in on the stuffed lion in Lauren’s arms and she laughs. “I don’t know, maybe she walked.”

“That’d be _so cool_ ,” Lauren smiles down at the cub and closes her eyes again. “Anyway, naptime. Night.”

“No, wait, we’ve got to get up,” Camila shakes her again, “it’s the afternoon, we’ve already slept through most of the day.”

“Then there’s no harm done in sleeping the rest of it,” Lauren counters, her eyes still shut. “Your bed is really comfortable. Not as good as mine, because nothing is better than your own bed, but still.”

Camila sighs. She doesn’t want to do this, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She grabs Nala from her girlfriend and holds her up in the air. Lauren sits bolt upright and glares at her.

“I didn’t want to do that.” Camila says, still keeping hold of Nala. “But you gave me no choice.”

“Give her back.” Lauren pouts. “She’s mine.”

Camila smiles a little; Lauren is adorable. “Only if you promise we’ll get up.”

“Promise.” Lauren says, and Camila holds out Nala. Lauren snatches her back and kisses the top of Nala’s head. “Bitch.”

“Heard that.”

“You were supposed to.”

Camila rolls her eyes and Lauren childishly sticks her tongue out at her. “How old are you, six?”

“I’m twenty, actually.” Lauren shoots back, brushing her fingers through her hair and carefully setting Nala down on the pillows. “Can I use your shower?”

Camila shakes her head. “I need to shower and only one of us can do that. Dinah will be even more suspicious if I shower _twice_.”

Lauren smirks. “Come join me then. If you don’t want to, then I’m getting the shower. I’m the one who got all sweaty from softball this morning.”

Camila rolls her eyes, but follows Lauren into the bathroom and makes sure to lock both the door into her room and the door that leads into Ally’s.

“Wait,” Camila stops Lauren before she can try figure out the shower, “If I’m going to be fucking you in the shower, I’m brushing my teeth first. I’m not kissing you with morning breath.”

“Good call,” Lauren nods, and disappears back into Camila’s room, reappearing with a toothbrush that definitely isn’t the one Lauren uses at her apartment. “I brought a spare that I can just keep here.”

Camila smirks. “What makes you think I’m inviting you over again?”

“Because you love me,” Lauren teases her, squeezing her hand. “That’s why.”

“Yeah. I guess I do,” Camila grins at her, “I love you a lot.”

They brush their teeth together, and Camila can’t help but notice how _domestic_ it all feels. It really makes her look forward to living with Lauren next year. She _doesn’t_ look forward to breaking the news to the girls, but she pushes that thought from her mind and puts her toothbrush back in the holder, turning to Lauren with a grin.

“Shower?”

Lauren smirks. “Mhm. Shower.”

-

“Mila’s been in the shower for a while,” Normani comments with a frown. “Usually she’s only in there for ten minutes.”

Dinah scoffs. “You know, for once, I’m not worrying about Mila, because I’m mad about softball.”

Ally frowns at her over her coffee. “Why?”

“Jauregui was _late_ to practice and coach couldn’t have cared less!” Dinah exclaims with a sigh. Ally tenses a little, and Normani rolls her eyes. “If _I’d_ been late, if anyone _else_ had been late, coach would’ve lost her shit. But _no_ , because _Jauregui_ is late, she doesn’t give half a fuck.”

“Maybe your coach didn’t notice,” Normani suggests. “That’s why she didn’t get told off for it.”

“Oh, she knew. I told her,” Dinah says. “I pointed it out and coach just rolled her eyes at me and accepted Jauregui’s apology. I bet she was out at some party and got super drunk and fucked some girl she’ll never call again. We all know that’s what she’s like.”

Normani hums in agreement, but Ally stays quiet. After learning what she had last night, she’s fairly positive that Dinah’s version of Lauren isn’t one hundred percent factual.

“I just can’t believe _she_ got the captain position over _me_.” Dinah continues with her rant. “And in soccer, too! She’s not even that _good_ …”

Ally sighs a little, glancing over at Camila’s bedroom door. She knows that Dinah is _never_ going to accept the idea of Lauren and Camila together, even after she gets over the initial shock. She wonders why Camila’s soulmate wasn’t someone easier, someone that Dinah _likes_ , like Ariana or Hailee.

Ally pushes that thought aside, because love isn’t easy. If it’s easy, it isn’t love.

Dinah finally stops ranting and sighs. “You guys want any junk food? I’m going to grab McDonalds to make myself feel better.”

“Yeah, I could go for some chicken nuggets.” Normani answers, passing Dinah some cash. “My treat since you’re so upset.”

“Do you think Mila will want anything?” Dinah glances towards Camila’s bedroom door, and before Ally or Normani can say anything, Dinah is walking towards it. “I’m going to go ask her.”

Dinah knocks on Camila’s bedroom door, but pushes it open straight after anyways, defeating the purpose of knocking.

“Dinah!” Camila blurts out loudly, “I was _changing_.”

Ally can imagine Dinah’s eye roll. “Mila, we’ve been best friends since _birth_. I’ve seen you naked plenty of times. You want McDonalds?”

From where she’s sat, Ally sees Camila glance over to the bathroom door. She assumes that’s where Lauren is hiding. “Um, sure. I’ll have- um, twenty nuggets. And two medium fries.”

“Two sets of fries?” Dinah frowns. “You must be hungry.”

“You know how much I love McDonalds fries.” Camila says, but Ally knows better, and that half of the nuggets and one set of fries are for Lauren. “I’m kind of crazy about them. I can eat that many no problem.”

“True,” Dinah laughs. “I’ll be back in twenty. Are you going to join your friends or hide out in your room again?”

Camila pauses, and Ally sees her shake her head. “Um, I have some studying to do, so I’ll probably eat in here.”

Before she can help it, Ally snorts, because the only thing Camila will be studying is Lauren. At the thought, Ally cringes a little, because Camila is like a baby sister to her, and the last thing she wants on her mind is _Camila fucking Lauren_.

Dinah sighs, but nods, and closes Camila’s bedroom door, turning back to Normani and Ally. “Alz, you want anything?”

“Sure, just a McChicken,” Ally smiles, “Mani, how about you go with Dinah? She’ll need someone to help her carry in the food and like Mila, I’ve got a few things to do for my classes on Monday.”

Normani rolls her eyes. “It was Dinah’s idea, she can do it herself. I’ll help her carry the stuff in when she gets back.”

Before Ally can protest, Dinah has already walked out of the front door. She’d wanted to give Lauren and Camila a little time to be free from Camila’s bedroom – she’d caught Lauren heading to her car that morning and Lauren had mentioned she wanted a house tour.

Then again, they _had_ said it was okay for Normani to find out.

Ally stands up and knocks on Camila’s door, and unlike Dinah, waits for her friend to shout _come in_. She pushes open the door and flashes a shifty looking Camila a smile. “It’s just me.”

She closes the door behind her, and Camila breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank god. Lauren, you can come out.”

Camila’s closet door opens and Lauren walks out, wearing an oversized sweater and some ripped jeans, but her hair is wet and there’s an obvious hickey on her neck. Ally shudders to think what unsavoury things they’d been doing in the shower.

Lauren sits down next to Camila on her bed and Ally notes how they immediately link hands. “Is Dinah gone?”

“Yes, but Normani is still here,” Ally tells them. “If you don’t care about Normani knowing, then feel free to sit with us in the kitchen until we hear Dinah’s car come back.”

Camila looks at Lauren and shrugs. “I trust Mani. I mean, I trust Dinah, too… I just don’t trust her not to punch you.”

Lauren snorts, and kisses Camila’s cheek. “You know I could take her.”

“I guess Mani can know,” Camila nods, squeezing Lauren’s hand and standing up. “Come on, babe. Let’s go sit in the kitchen.”

Lauren nods, and follows Camila straight away. The word _whipped_ comes to mind and Ally stifles a laugh, cutting in front of them to sit down first.

Normani frowns. “What did you want with- _what the fuck?”_

Normani spots Camila and Lauren mid-sentence, glances down at their linked hands, back at the two of them, and then looks at Ally.

Camila bursts out laughing. “That was priceless.”

Normani regains her voice. “What the fuck is _she_ doing here?”

“Um, well,” Camila stops laughing, and Ally sees her squeeze Lauren’s hand comfortingly. “Lauren is my girlfriend. Right, Lo?”

“Um, yeah,” Lauren nods, “girlfriend. That’s me.”

Normani bristles and glares at Lauren. Ally watches with casual amusement. “I know what kind of game you’re playing. You’ll only be with her until she puts out. That’s what you’re like. Mila, I don’t know what you’re _thinking_ -”

Camila shakes her head and Lauren’s grip on her hand tightens. “Mani, relax. Lauren- she’s my _soulmate_ -”

“I bet that’s what you tell all the girls to get them into bed with you,” Normani glares, “like last night. Dinah says you were late for your practice and she knows that you were fucking some random girl last night-”

Lauren finally seems to have snapped out of whatever trance she was in, and her usual cockiness is back. “Actually, I was fucking _Camila_ , but sure.”

Camila laughs and turns to Normani with a grin. “Yeah, Mani. If all Lauren wanted was to get in my pants, I’m pretty sure she’d have left me months ago.”

Normani stops dead. “Months?”

“Yes, months,” Ally finally speaks, “they told me last night. They’ve been together since the end of last school year.”

“Actually, we got together officially in summer when we were both back in Miami,” Lauren corrects her, “but we were dating from the end of the school year.”

Normani looks blankly in Lauren’s direction. “And you love her?”

“Of course I love her,” Lauren says it like it’s obvious. “Like Camila said, we’re soulmates.”

Camila grins. “Hell yeah we are. Anyway, Mani, don’t tell Dinah. We know she won’t approve.”

“I don’t entirely approve either,” Normani says, still watching Lauren. “I don’t trust you, Jauregui. Your reputation is-”

Lauren scoffs. “It’s bullshit, that’s what it is, but I don’t have to prove anything to you-”

“Laur,” Camila interrupts her, sending her a pleading look. She really wants Lauren to be nice to her friends. She has a pipe dream that they’ll all get along – Lauren and Dinah included – but she knows it won’t happen. “Please, babe, I can explain to them later. It’s okay.”

Lauren sighs, but nods, and Ally tries not to laugh, because Lauren is incredibly whipped. “Fine. I’m going to go, though. Clearly I’m not welcome-”

“Baby,” Camila tries, but Lauren turns on her heel and disappears into Camila’s bedroom. She turns to Normani with a sigh. “Why did you have to say those things? You don’t even _know_ her.”

Normani rolls her eyes. “I know plenty about her. She’s probably just using you to find out things about Dinah, like strategies and stuff. Or until she finds another fuck buddy.”

Camila stares Normani down. “I can’t believe you’d say that. First of all, Lauren is my girlfriend, _not_ a ‘fuck buddy’. Secondly, we’ve been together for nearly five months, known each other for six, and she’s never _once_ asked anything about Dinah. Besides, in case you hadn’t noticed, Lauren’s already captain of the softball _and_ soccer teams. Also, thanks for thinking someone like her would never date me because she genuinely likes me. I think I’ll follow my girlfriend’s lead and leave.”

With that, Camila turns on her heel and storms away. Ally cringes when she slams her bedroom door behind her.

-

“ _God_ , I can’t believe her,” Camila huffs, shaking her head and pacing across her room. Lauren watches intently. “I thought that Mani would be fine. I didn’t- I never thought Dinah would’ve rubbed off on her like that.”

“Come here,” Lauren pulls her down to the bed and wraps her arms around her girlfriend. “It’s okay. I didn’t think it’d go too well-”

Camila sighs and rests her head on Lauren’s shoulder. “I just wish you were friends with the girls.”

“Unfortunately, your girlfriend’s friends aren’t always going to be yours too,” Lauren shrugs, but Camila can see a hint of sadness in her eyes. “That’s okay. We love each other, and as long as it stays civil-”

“Your friends were amazing to me,” Camila interrupts, sending Lauren a tearful glance. “I wish I could give you that, too. I know that Ally was nice, but she’s nice to everyone. Your friends all accepted me and made me feel included. Lucy even told me a bunch of embarrassing stories about angsty teen Lauren.”

Lauren laughs. “You _want_ your best friends to embarrass you?”

“Well, in a way, yeah,” Camila sighs, “I just want to hang out with my best friends and my girlfriend at the same time and- I just… can we get out of here? Can I stay at your place for a few days?”

“Of course you can,” Lauren kisses her forehead. “You’re welcome any time. I’ll get you a key cut. I mean… you’ll need one for next year anyway.”

“Yeah,” Camila nods and relaxes into her girlfriend’s side. “I love you so much. Sometimes I feel like you’re the only person who really knows me. You’re the only person I don’t have any secrets from.”

Lauren hums. “Well, I have _one_ secret from you, but that’s just something really dumb.”

Camila looks up. “Then you can tell me it.”

Lauren smiles a little. “Promise not to laugh?”

“I promise,” Camila murmurs. “I won’t laugh.”

“Alright, well,” Lauren blushes and Camila realises it’s going to be something potentially embarrassing. “When I was six, I went through a phase of thinking I was a lion. Like… I would wear a fake mane to school.”

Camila snorts. “Wow. A lion, huh? I can’t see it. You’re more like a rat.”

Lauren scoffs and pushes her over, pinning her down to the bed. “For that, I’m going to tickle you.”

“Wow, look at you,” Camila gets out before Lauren digs her fingers into her sides, “you’re topping for the first and only time in your life.”

Lauren rolls her eyes, pecks Camila on the cheek, and sits up, stretching. “Well… want to go back to my apartment? We can watch some Disney movies to cheer you up.”

“Yeah. I’d really like that,” Camila nods, “and we can pick up some food on the way.”

Before Lauren can pick the takeout – they have a couple of places for each cuisine that they frequent – there’s a knock on Camila’s bedroom door and Normani walks in. Camila’s expression sours, but Lauren’s face stays neutral.

Camila avoids eye contact, but she can feel Normani’s gaze on her.

“I’m sorry,” Normani’s words shock Camila. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. If you really love her, then I shouldn’t judge. Just don’t hurt my best friend.”

That’s when Camila realises Normani isn’t talking to her. She’s talking to Lauren.

“I don’t intend on hurting her.” Lauren answers. “If it does end up happening, it’s probably because she got tired of me and dumped my ass-”

“Which would never happen,” Camila is quick to interrupt, “Lauren wouldn’t hurt me. She loves me and I love her and that’s all that should matter to you.”

Normani glances over at Camila, and then looks at Lauren again. “You’re not using her for sex?”

“I wouldn’t use anyone for sex,” Lauren answers, and Camila squeezes her around the waist. “That rumour was made up by my dumbass ex-boyfriend who I never should’ve been with in the first place.”

Camila hums in agreement. “Lauren wouldn’t ever use me like that. If she was, I doubt she’d have stayed with me for this long. Or told me she loves me. Or asked me to move in with her next year.”

Normani stares at her. “You’re moving in with her?”

“Next year,” Camila confirms, happy to have gotten that off her chest, if only for a few moments. “Don’t freak out, it’s only October. We’ve still got a whole school year.”

Normani sighs. “Okay, alright, I won’t freak.”

Lauren looks between the two of them and stands up. “Look, I honestly don’t care if you hate me or not. It doesn’t bother me either way. But for Camila’s sake, I’d like you to be civil with me while I’m around. I know how much it’d upset her if we were at each other’s throats.”

After a few moments, Normani nods. “Okay. I can do that. And I don’t hate you. _Dinah_ is another story, but after talking to Ally, I realised that I can’t hate you because I don’t know you. That doesn’t mean I won’t have my eye on you, though.”

“That’s perfectly understandable.” Lauren answers, before she finally sits down next to Camila again and gives her a comforting squeeze. “Do you still want to get out of here, Camz?”

Camila thinks for a moment, but eventually nods. “Yes. But, uh, we can stick around to eat in here. I’ll ask Ally to cover for me with Dinah.”

“You realise she’ll probably try and stalk you if you leave through the front door, right?” Normani raises her eyebrows. “She’s really been dedicated to following you around. She’s planning on confronting you about where you were last night, too.”

“I, uh, I was working.” Camila says. “She knows that.”

“Yeah, she knows you weren’t there,” Normani points out. “What do you want me to tell her?”

Lauren looks up in surprise. “You’d cover for us?”

“Look, you two clearly love each other.” Normani sighs. “And as much as I’m wary about her, I know that Dinah won’t be so calm and I don’t want you to get your heart broken because your best friend went crazy.”

“I know Dinah won’t approve,” Camila says, “but she’s going to have to deal with it. I’m not going to let anything she says jeopardise what I have with Lauren.”

Normani nods, and turns to the open window at the sound of a car engine. “Dinah is back. She’d better hide.”

Lauren nods and kisses Camila’s temple, before she ducks into the closet. A few minutes later, Camila’s bedroom door bursts open and Dinah puts a McDonald’s bag on Camila’s bedside table.

“There,” Dinah says, “what’re you studying for?”

“I have a couple essays I need to get started on,” Camila shrugs, “I’ll probably just be in here all night.”

Dinah sighs, but nods, and Normani beckons her out of the room. When the door closes, Lauren comes out of hiding and sits back down on the bed, stuffing a few fries into her mouth.

Camila laughs at her. “You know, you eat a lot for someone so… toned.”

“The more you exercise, the more you get to eat,” Lauren points out with a laugh. “Trust me, if I don’t work out for a few weeks, I gain weight because unlike _you_ , I don’t have a high metabolism.”

Camila blushes. “Hey, it’s not my fault it’s freakishly fast. Blame genetics.”

“ _Lucky_ genetics,” Lauren rolls her eyes. “Lucy and Keana are the same way. I was constantly jealous of that throughout high school. They were there looking like models, and I was all chubby and awkward.”

“I love your body either way,” Camila smiles. “You’re gorgeous.”

Lauren flushes and kisses Camila’s cheek, before stuffing a chicken nugget into her mouth. “I haven’t had these for years.”

Camila stares at her like she’s crazy. “For real?”

“For real,” Lauren confirms. “Last time I had them, I puked my guts up because I got sick. Haven’t touched them since. I usually just get a Big Mac.”

“Well, I’m glad I get to reintroduce you. Also, you’re lucky I’m sharing.” Camila grins. “I normally get a twenty nugget box for myself and I devour the whole thing easy.”

Lauren rolls her eyes. “If I did that on the regular, I’d be the size of a hot air balloon.”

“No, you wouldn’t, because you obsessively work out.” Camila points out with a laugh. “Sometimes I text you wanting to hang out and you reply telling me you’re at the gym.”

“I go when I’m bored,” Lauren shrugs. “I leave when you text.”

“But still, when _normal people_ are bored, they play video games or watch Netflix,” Camila teases her. “You’re an anomaly, Laur.”

Lauren just rolls her eyes and rests her head on Camila’s shoulder, eating another handful of fries. It doesn’t take them too long to finish their food, and afterwards, Lauren pops a piece of chewing gum in her mouth and offers some to Camila, but she declines.

“You want to go?” Lauren asks, nodding to the window. “We’ll have to climb out there.”

Camila nods. “Just let me get some stuff together.”

Lauren helps her get her stuff together, and as she’s digging around Camila’s sock drawer for an acceptable mismatched pair, she smirks. “Wow, Camz. I can’t believe you’d make me quit when you’re a secret smoker yourself.”

Camila turns around and rolls her eyes at Lauren and the pack of cigarettes in her hand. “You know those are yours. I took them when we first started dating and stuffed them back there and forgot about them.”

“Donate them to Lucy,” Lauren says, throwing the pack at her, “though I wouldn’t be surprised if you tried to get her to quit after making me.”

“I thought Lucy only smoked weed?” Camila frowns at the packet and decides she’ll leave them on campus somewhere. “And I appreciate that you quit the cigarette side of your little smoking habit for me, Lo.”

“Anything for you,” Lauren walks over to her, squeezes her around the waist and kisses her cheek. “But don’t go around telling people I’m whipped.”

Camila smiles. “I won’t. People can easily figure that out for themselves.”

Lauren scoffs, but doesn’t argue, and opens up the window as Camila zips up her backpack. “Come on. Let’s go watch a couple of Disney movies.”

They climb out of the window, Lauren helping Camila not fall on her ass as she lands, and head to Lauren’s car together, hand in hand.

-

“Okay, talk.”

Camila looks up, bewildered, and meets Normani’s gaze. Ally is with her, sending her an apologetic look. “About what? Actually, it’s good you’re here, I needed to go and get lunch and Lauren’s in a class.”

“Alright then,” Normani nods, “but _she’s_ what I need you to talk about. You have to tell me everything. Tell me why you love her so much.”

Camila rolls her eyes. “I don’t have to prove anything to you. I just want to get lunch with my friends.”

Ally sighs. “We don’t know anything good about Lauren and we want to like her for you. Help us do that. Besides, I want to hear about how you met your _soulmate_. You know how I met Troy.”

Finally, Camila cracks a smile, zipping her laptop safely into her backpack. “Alright. Can we splurge and go to my favourite pizza place? Their slices are the _best_. I think I deserve it after working on an essay all day.”

“Okay,” Normani nods, and Camila follows them out of the library, spotting their car not far away.

The drive to the pizza place takes longer than it should, but it’s New York at lunchtime, so Camila really can’t expect anything better. Either way, it’s worth it when she finally gets her hands on a big Hawaiian slice, knowing that if Lauren were here, she’d be rolling her eyes and making disgusted noises at Camila’s choice.

(In fact, Normani is being a pretty good stand in; her reaction is like what Lauren’s would be.)

They sit down in a booth, Ally and Normani on one side, and Camila on the other. Knowing that something is missing, Camila nods to the empty spot next to her. “Where’s Dinah?”

“We casually made up a fake lead and she took the bait. We mentioned where we thought you might be and she excused herself five seconds after.” Normani shrugs. “She’s probably camped outside the coffee shop at the west of campus.”                                    

Camila laughs. “I’m not surprised. Anyway, what do you want to know about Lauren?”

“How did you two start talking?” Ally asks, starting with something basic. “Obviously we know roughly _when_.”

Normani nods. “And was it romantic or did you start as friends?”

“Okay, well, uh,” Camila pauses in thought, “it was last semester of freshman year. I was forced to take that other class to make up credits and was really bad at checking my email, so when class was cancelled, I showed up not knowing. Lauren was the only other person to show. She asked if she could sit with me and I said yes, reluctantly, because like you guys, I had the same reservations after all the stuff Dinah had told me about her. Then she started flirting and embarrassingly, I told her I wasn’t interested because I knew what she was like and then I felt bad for assuming so I figured I’d give her a chance. After that, she offered me leftover pizza and asked me out on a date. I said yes.”

“You said yes even after everything Dinah had told you?” Normani frowns, and Camila nods. “Why?”

“Well, she told me directly that none of that was true and I decided to believe her.” Camila shrugs. “I had no reason not to.”

“What about your first date?” Ally asks. “What did you do?”

“Lauren took me to dinner. Not fancy, but not unfancy either.” Camila smiles at the memory. “She was so sweet to me. She insisted on paying, even though I wanted to go Dutch, because she wanted to treat me. After our date, I wouldn’t let her walk me to the door because I was worried you guys would see us. She kissed me in the car and waited until I’d gotten in safely and that’s when I knew I wanted to stay with her. When she kissed me, it was like _wow_ , _why haven’t I been doing this my whole life_. I’d never felt like that about anybody.”

Ally smiles. “That’s so cute.”

“After that, I knew that no matter how complicated it’d be, I wanted to be with Lauren.” Camila continues, thinking back to the night she’d told Lauren just that. “I actually said that to her. Instead of running away like _damn, this girl is clingy_ like I thought she might, she just smiled and told me she felt the same way. I like to think we both knew we were soulmates from the moment we kissed.”

Normani narrows her eyes. “And she’s never done anything to hurt you? Ever?”

“Nope,” Camila smiles proudly. “She’s the best. She’s always so chivalrous, but at the same time, loves to be treated like a princess herself. She’s always there for me if I need her, too. Even when- um… you remember that music thing? Where I had to perform and you guys came to watch? Lauren was there. She sat in the back, and I kept my eyes on her the entire time. It was like she was the only person in that room. It made me relax.”

“Aren’t you worried she’s going to cheat?” Normani frowns. “I mean, with that reputation and the fact that every time I’ve spoken to her she’s been a cocky bitch-”

“Lauren would never cheat. I love her and I trust her and that should be enough for you.” Camila starts getting defensive. “Besides the _cocky bitch_ isn’t Lauren. That’s the person that appears when Lauren’s walls go up. Lauren is a total sweetheart and you’ll learn that from spending time with her. Which is why I invited her to join us here. Her class finished and she’s on her way.”

“Seriously?” Normani frowns. “You’re with your _friends_.”

“Yep.” Camila agrees. “And I want my friends to get to know my girlfriend. At least… the friends that know she’s my girlfriend.”

Ally sends Normani a stern look. “Drop it, Mani. If Mila wants to invite her girlfriend to lunch, she can.”

“Speak of the angel that stole my heart,” Camila smiles, looking past them. She stands up and pulls Lauren in for a kiss. “Hi, babe. I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Lauren beams at her. “I got out ten minutes early. Told my professor I had an important appointment and couldn’t be late.”

“Well, it’s not like you were lying.” Camila smiles, and sits back down in the booth, Lauren sliding in next to her. “Do you want me to buy you a slice?”

“You paid for the last date we went on,” Lauren says, and then turns to her friends. “Hi. I hope I’m not intruding. Camila said it was okay.”

Ally smiles. “It’s fine. Camila mentioned she wanted us to get to know each other, so…”

“Oh, yeah, cool,” Lauren nods, squeezing Camila’s hand. “Anything for you, Camz. I’m going to go order. Be right back.”

Normani raises her eyebrows as Lauren goes up to the counter to order. “Camz?”

Camila blushes. “It’s her name for me. I like it. Only Lauren calls me that, so… it’s special.”

Ally smiles, and Camila swears she sees Normani hiding a grin too. Even though Camila is glad Lauren finally gets to meet her friends in the proper way, she really wishes Dinah was here. Obviously, a Dinah that had her memory wiped and didn’t know Lauren, but she still wants her best friend to meet her girl.

When Lauren sits back down, a slice of pepperoni and a coke with her, she glances over at Camila with a grin. “You didn’t get pineapple, did you?”

Camila rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I did. I finally did it without your judgement, too.”

“Ugh, disgusting,” Lauren sighs. “I’m never kissing you again.”

“That’s what I wanted to tell her,” Normani agrees. “The disgusting thing, not the kissing. I wouldn’t kiss Mila regardless.”

“Hey, I’m cute.” Camila defends herself. “And pineapple is good!”

“Yeah, but not on a pizza,” Lauren retorts. “I mean, I don’t like pineapple in general because it literally eats you back. I don’t really want to get eaten, thanks.”

Camila smirks. “At least in that sense.”

“ _Whoa_ , okay,” Ally interrupts before Lauren can talk. “I might be fine with y’all, but I _did not_ sign up to hear the girl who is basically my baby sister say _that_.”

Normani sighs. “This is going to take a _lot_ of getting used to.”

Lauren glances at Camila for a moment, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand. Then, she smiles at Normani. “So, um, Camila mentioned that you’re a big Beyoncé fan?”

Normani frowns. “She talks about me?”

“Yeah, she talks about both of you.” Lauren says, and Camila sends her a grateful smile. “She talks about Dinah, too.”

“I kind of… daydream about things I’d want to do if all five of us were friends.” Camila blushes. “I just really want you guys to get along.”

“Well… Dinah won’t like it at all.” Ally warns her, and Camila sighs, because she wishes her best friend would be fine with Lauren. “You don’t really do much to help with that.”

Lauren sighs and takes a sip of her drink. “I’m trying to ignore her but it’s so easy to push her buttons. Plus, you can’t blame me for retaliating when she’s constantly calling me a slut.”

After a few moments, Ally nods. “Okay. You have stopped trying to bug her, though?”

“Trust me, she knows not to,” Camila sends Lauren a playful smile. “A few weeks back, I was with Dinah, and she ran into Laur. And _someone_ wasn’t exactly playing nice.”

“She didn’t even apologise to me.” Lauren defends herself. “If she had, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

Normani snorts. “You’re a little bit whipped, aren’t you?”

Lauren scowls. “Fuck off, Hamilton.”

Normani laughs. “If anything, that just confirms it. No need to get offensive. It’s good. It proves you really do love her.”

“Of course I really love her.” Lauren frowns, and Camila rests her head on her girl’s shoulder. “I’ll always love her.”

“I’ll always love you too, baby,” Camila smiles. “Go get me another slice?”

“Okay,” Lauren smiles and kisses Camila’s cheek, standing up and heading over to the counter again. “I’m not getting you pineapple.”

Camila pouts, but doesn’t bother arguing, because free pizza is better than no pizza, and if she wants pineapple, Lauren will make her pay for herself.

“You really have tamed her.” Ally says, looking over at Lauren, who is ordering. “I think you two are sweet.”

Camila smiles. “Thank you, Ally. And thanks for diverting Dinah today. I appreciate you buying us time.”

“So, uh, you mentioned you’re moving in with her next year,” Normani says and Camila nods in confirmation. “Are we bad roommates?”

“No, it’s just… I’m finally in something serious, and by the time we’re moving in, we’ll be nearly a year and a half strong.” Camila says. “Living together is like, a trial run for marriage, right? And I really… I can… I can see myself marrying Lauren.”

Ally laughs. “Good luck breaking that news to Dinah.”

“So there’s no chance she’ll want to be maid of honour?” Camila asks, and the other two laugh.

“Maid of honour for what?” Lauren asks, sitting back down and pushing another slice towards Camila, pepperoni this time. “If you’re going to a wedding, I call being Camila’s date.”

“She was talking about your wedding,” Ally tells her, and Camila turns bright red. The last thing she wants to do is freak Lauren out. “She doubts Dinah would want the maid of honour position there.”

Surprisingly, instead of telling Camila that she needs to back off, Lauren laughs. “Yeah, I can’t imagine proposing that to her. She’d probably punch me.”

“Nice pun, babe,” Camila points out, and when Lauren frowns, she elaborates. “Proposing.”

“Oh. That was unintentional,” Lauren smiles, “should’ve known you’d pick up on that.”

“So, every Friday when you’re supposedly working, you’re being cheesy with Lauren?” Normani asks for confirmation, and Camila nods. “Alright, well, as long as you don’t ditch your other shifts. We’ve never been late for rent before.”

“A lot of the time, my softball practice is at the same time Camz is working,” Lauren says, “and after softball I usually go out with friends.”

“Yeah. I’m working the same amount as before.” Camila says. “Just don’t tell Dinah I’m not doing extra shifts.”

“Alright.” Ally nods. “We should probably go and join her, actually. Let you two have some couple time.”

Camila grabs Lauren’s hand and smiles. “Okay. I’ll see you guys when I get home.”

After a few moments, Normani stands up, and Ally follows her out of the booth. They say their goodbyes, and once the girls are gone, Lauren rests her head on Camila’s shoulder.

“I think that went well,” she decides, smiling at the way Camila turns over and kisses her cheek. “Don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Camila nods. “I think it went well too.”

-

Dinah is annoyed.

Normani and Ally said they’d _help_ her with staking out Camila, but every time they tell her where Camila is supposed to be, they never go with her. Instead, they make up an excuse and disappear.

She knows what it is. Whatever happened to Camila had happened to them too. And she’s sick of it.

She comes up with her best plan yet. The next time Ally and Normani send her somewhere on a wild goose chase, she’s going to stake _them_ out, too. They’ll lead her to whatever changed Camila, and that’ll help her find her best friend.

(Honestly, she’s not sure she can even consider Camila her best friend anymore. They barely talk anymore.)

When she sits down with Normani and Ally at lunch, they chat to her as usual, but around half an hour into their lunch, Normani stands up. “Okay, well, I’m going to go. Hey, Dinah, Mila told me she’ll be in the library around now, if you want to go talk to her.”

Dinah sighs, but nods. “Yeah. I’m going to go find her. See you guys later.”

She stands up, and heads in the direction of the library. After a few minutes, when she sees Ally and Normani stand up, she doubles back and follows them. She’s glad they don’t get in a car; she’d definitely lose them if they did. Instead, they walk to the café outside the literature building. She knows that Camila had a class in here last year when she had to make up credits.

She slips through the door after them and sits at a table in the back, pushing a potted plant in front of her and hoping she’s hidden. Ally and Normani sit down, and for a moment, Dinah wonders _maybe they’re dating_. She shrugs that off, however, when she remembers that Ally has been with Troy for years and she definitely wouldn’t cheat.

She keeps watching them, switching between playing on her phone and staking them out. After around ten minutes, someone comes into the café and Dinah feels her blood boil. _Jauregui_. Of course she’d come in here and ruin Dinah’s day.

Usually, the mere sight of Lauren makes Dinah irritated, but she’s even angrier when Lauren sits down at the same table as Normani and Ally and greets them with a smile.

But the thing that really gets her angry is when Camila comes in, cautiously looks around, and greets Lauren with a kiss.

Dinah sees red, and without thinking, she storms over to the table, pulls back her fist and punches Lauren, something she’s wanted to do since the other girl opened her cocky mouth.

Lauren stares up at her in shock, her hand clasped to her jaw where Dinah’s punch had landed. Camila is the first person to snap out of her shock and stands up, pushing Dinah away from her. “What the fuck, Dinah?”

“You’re yelling at me? Are you _serious?”_ Dinah scoffs, scowling down at Lauren. “ _She’s_ the one you should yell at. She’s probably just using you, Mila. She’s nothing more than a dirty little slut-”

“Fuck _you_ ,” Camila snaps, “that _dirty slut_ is the girl I _love_ , and if you’re going to insult her, then you can get out of my life. Really, Dinah? Slut shaming isn’t cool. Even if Lauren slept around it’d be uncalled for to-”

“Are you seriously defending her?” Dinah asks, disbelieving. “She really has you that brainwashed? And- and _you two as well_? You knew about this and you let it go on?”

Normani stands up too, and Ally moves around the table to help Lauren up, murmuring something about getting her ice. “D, seriously, they’re happy, just-”

“No, she’s _using her_.” Dinah insists, because there’s no way in hell that Lauren Jauregui could feel anything remotely like love for anyone. “She’s just with her to annoy me. You know how much she loves getting under my skin.”

“Yeah, and that’s exactly why you had no idea up until now,” Camila sarcastically replies, “grow up, Dinah. Not everything Lauren does is to annoy you. Until you get that through your head, I’m done with you.”

“Wow,” Dinah folds her arms across her chest, Normani holding her back, “She really _has_ brainwashed you.”

Camila turns around and sends her one last scathing look before stalking out of the café. She pulls out her phone, seeing a clearly rushed text from Ally. Through the typos, she manages to decipher that Lauren is on a bench nearby and Ally had run to get some ice from a soda machine.

She doesn’t have to go that far before she spots Lauren on a bench, Ally holding a makeshift ice pack to her jaw.

She runs over, looking concerned. “Baby, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Lauren answers, wincing a little when Camila takes ice pack from Ally and presses it against her jaw. “I mean, I might have a pretty bad bruise for a few days, but I’ll be fine.”

“I’m going to help Mani calm Dinah down.” Ally says, “I really am sorry for what she did, Lauren.”

“Not your fault,” Lauren mumbles back, “but thanks.”

“I totally would suddenly be blind for a few minutes if you wanted to retaliate.” Camila says, watching as Ally heads back to the café and brushing Lauren’s hair back affectionately. “I know I’d normally be against it, but I think you deserve to.”

“Babe, it’s fine,” Lauren murmurs. “No fighting violence with violence. I’m okay. I’ll be okay. At least… at least everything is out there now. No more sneaking around.”

“But you’re hurt.” Camila says. “I mean, I know you always joked about her punching you when she found out, but I didn’t think she’d actually do it.”

“I did.” Lauren answers. “She really hates me.”

Camila sighs. “I really wish things were different. I kind of snapped at her when I left and told her that if she was going to be immature about it then we’re not friends anymore.”

“You can’t do that. She’s your best friend.” Lauren argues with her. “You shouldn’t have to choose between us.”

“She’s the one being immature. Not you.” Camila answers. “The choice is pretty obvious.”

Lauren shakes her head. “It’s still not right. I can give you a week or so to-”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Camila murmurs, kissing Lauren. “You’re staying by my side. I don’t care what Dinah thinks, okay? Besides, we’ve got her initial reaction out of the way, I guess. Can’t get much worse.”

“Um, she could _murder me_?” Lauren stares at her with wide eyes. “You underestimate how much she doesn’t like me.”

Camila shakes her head. “She didn’t like Mani at first. Maybe… maybe she’ll warm up to you.”

Lauren snorts. “I doubt it.”

“We’ll get through this.” Camila says, mostly to herself. “It was the wrong way for her to have found out, so… it’s possible she’ll cool off.”

Lauren just sighs, not wanting to upset her girlfriend. She knows that Dinah will never warm up to the idea, but she’s _not_ going to lose Camila because of a petty rivalry. She’s not going to lose the best thing she’s ever had.

“Can I stay at yours for a few nights?”

The question takes Lauren off guard, and she looks up in surprise. After it registers, she nods. “Yeah. Yeah, of course. You can stay as long as you need.”

“Thank you, baby,” Camila sends her a smile, but Lauren notes that it’s a little dimmer around the edges and it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “I just want to distance myself from Dinah. I can’t… I can’t be around her after what she did.”

In any other situation, Lauren would be smiling. She loves it when Camila spends the night, and not just because they have sex. She adores waking up next to Camila, seeing her girlfriend’s beautiful face untouched by worry. Lauren has always loved art, and Camila is a masterpiece.

Today, it doesn’t feel right, knowing that Camila is distancing herself from her childhood best friend, just because she wants to defend Lauren. She finds it hard to believe she’s worth that much.

“If you’re going to stay at mine, let the girls know.” Lauren says. “Dinah included. Text your group chat and say that you’re staying with a friend for a while.”

Camila frowns. “What’s the point in lying? Dinah knows now-”

“And if you want her to cool off, it’s not going to be a good idea to announce you’re staying with me.” Lauren tries to explain. “That’ll make her angrier. She’ll probably take it like you’re rubbing it in.”

After a few moments of thought, Camila nods. “Yeah. Good call. I’ll say I’m going to a friend’s.”

Once Camila texts the girls, Lauren nods in the general direction of the parking lot. “Can we go back to my apartment? As much as this melting ice in a napkin is helping, I think a bag of frozen peas would be a little more efficient.”

“Yeah, okay,” Camila nods, holding out her hand. “Where are your keys? I’ll drive. Your vision might be impaired from…”

“Dinah’s smackdown?” Lauren raises an eyebrow. “Keys are in my back pocket.”

Lauren stands up, and Camila takes Lauren’s keys from her pocket, giving her ass a playful squeeze.

“Really, Camila?” Lauren laughs, following her girlfriend to her regular parking spot. “Taking advantage of an injured girl?”

“Oh, suck it up, Jauregui,” Camila teases her. “You know I can’t resist you.”

“Mhm, and that’s my redeeming quality,” Lauren answers, “that at least you see the good in me.”

“You’re all good, Laur,” Camila frowns at her, squeezing her hand. “You’re the one who doesn’t let people see the dorky coin collector that I love.”

Lauren huffs dramatically. “Okay, my coin collection is _not_ dorky.”

“I never said it was,” Camila retorts. “I said _you_ were.”

Lauren laughs, and despite the pain in her jaw, thinks that maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.

-

“She’s obviously only with her to get under my skin.”

“Dinah, they’ve been together for five and a half months.” Ally points out. “And you found out half an hour ago. If Lauren wanted to get under your skin, she would’ve told you the second she asked Camila out.”

Normani hums in agreement. “If they weren’t serious, would Camila have a key to Lauren’s place? Would they be moving in together next fall? No. I don’t get why you can’t understand that Lauren loves Camila and-”

“Wait.” Dinah interrupts. “Go back. They’re _moving in_ together?”

“Yeah,” Ally nods, sending Normani a stern look, because she doesn’t think that’s information Camila would want Dinah to have just yet. “They love each other, Dinah. It’s not a ploy to get under your skin, or steal your soccer tactics. You might not like Lauren, but you’ve got to accept that Camila loves her.”

“No.” Dinah shakes her head. “I don’t have to accept it. I’m not going to accept it. How would you guys feel if someone you hated was using your best friend? I bet she’s totally cheating and I’m going to catch her in the act-”

“You’re obsessed with staking people out,” Normani mutters, shaking her head. “D, I was with Lauren last weekend at a party. She was drunk, and an admittedly hot girl started flirting with her, and you know what happened?”

Dinah scoffs. “She went upstairs and fucked her-”

“No, she said that she had a girlfriend and then listed exactly thirty-seven things she loves about Camila before she lost count, got distracted and went on a rant about how _The Lion King_ is a cinematic masterpiece.” Normani says. “I actually have it on video.”

Dinah is speechless for a few moments, before she shakes her head and keeps arguing. “That doesn’t prove she’s not only with Camila to get some secret about me. Or just to annoy me.”

“We already disproved the annoying thing.” Ally points out. “Considering you didn’t know until today. We were a little worried about the former when we found out, but you’ve just got to see them together to know they’re completely smitten. It’s cute, Dinah. Mila is really happy.”

“Yeah, why does it matter who she’s happy with?” Normani continues. “If Lauren is going to be the one to make her happy, you should accept it and move on. You don’t have to like her. Bash Lauren all you like in your own time, away from Camila – not literally punching her, by the way – just don’t bash the relationship.”

“Well, she’s taken Walz away from me.” Dinah argues, aware that she sounds like a petulant five-year-old. “You both know she’s been pulling away from me, and that’s because Jauregui is making her. She’s turning her against me.”

“Surprisingly, Lauren has never said a bad word about you in front of us.” Ally says. “I know you’ve got your sports rivalry, but outside of the pitch, she’s mature about it. She doesn’t dislike you at all. You’re the immature one.”

Dinah scoffs. “I’m immature?”

“Yeah, you are,” Normani counters, “and I’m sorry, but I think I speak for both of us when I say we’re with Camila and Lauren on this.”

With that, they turn and leave the café, and Dinah has no idea what to think.

-

A few days later, Dinah manages to track down the person she’s looking for in the library. She smirks triumphantly when she sees the purple bruise that has blossomed on Lauren’s jaw, because honestly, she’s quite proud of her work.

“Jauregui,” Dinah sits across from her, and Lauren pulls out an earbud, a cautious frown on her face. “You’re going to stop whatever game you’re playing. Leave Camila alone.”

Lauren raises her eyebrows. “I’m not playing any game.”

Dinah rolls her eyes. “Cut the act. I know what you’re like. Not only are you a cocky bitch who incorrectly thinks she’s better than everyone else, but you’re a cheater and a-”

“I’ve never cheated on anyone, actually. Cheating is disgusting.” Lauren interrupts her. “It’s understandable that you’re worried about your best friend. You don’t want her to get hurt. I get that. But I’m not going to hurt her. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a test to study for.”

Dinah scoffs. “Oh, a test on how to manipulate your rival’s best friend into telling you all of her strategies?”

“You really think I’d need to do that? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m captain of both teams we’re on. I hardly need to take any tips from you.” Lauren retorts. “Stop being so immature about this. I love Camila and I’m always going to love Camila. You don’t have to like me, but you being so bitchy about us being together is making her upset, and I don’t like that. Clearly you’re too petty to actually care about Camila’s feelings about all of this.”

“Why do you think I’m here?” Dinah rolls her eyes. “I’m trying to protect her from you.”

“Why is it so hard for you to see that she’s happy with me?” Lauren counters. “It doesn’t matter whatever feelings you have. A relationship is made up of two people who love each other, in this case, me and Camila. We get a say on our relationship. Nobody else. So please, leave me the fuck alone.”

Dinah stares at her for a moment. “You actually do care about her.”

“Of course I do.” Lauren rolls her eyes. “I’m in love with her.”

“Fine.” Dinah folds her arms across her chest. “I don’t like you. You know that. I don’t like the thought of you and her… but she’s happy. You’re right about that. I’m not going to support it, but I’m not going to slander it.”

“That’s a better deal than I expected.” Lauren says, mostly to herself. “Okay. Good. Are we done here?”

Dinah nods, and exits the library. _Next stop, Camila Cabello._

She finds Camila at the pizza place close to campus, eating a slice of pizza by herself. It really wasn’t hard to track her down, since it’s one of the three places she frequents for lunch.

“Hi,” Dinah sits across from her, and Camila looks up in surprise. “I- um… needed to talk to you.”

Camila stares at her, her face as neutral as possible. “Okay.”

“So, um… I went to the library and… I talked to Jaur- um, Lauren,” Dinah says, trying to gauge Camila’s reaction. “I realised that she actually does care about you. You know I’m not going to like it, but… I won’t hate it either.”

“You’ll keep your mouth shut?” Camila frowns. “No bad-mouthing Lauren?”

“Well, I can’t promise that part,” Dinah answers, and Camila sighs, so she quickly backtracks. “But, uh, I won’t say anything about your relationship. Well, anything bad, I mean.”

After a few moments, Camila nods. “Okay.”

“Um…” Dinah frowns. “Are we… are we cool?”

“No,” Camila answers, “did you apologise to Lauren? For hitting her?”

“Yeah, I did,” Dinah lies, regretting it immediately. “No. No, I didn’t.”

“Do that, and we’re cool.” Camila says. “I’m still staying at Lauren’s until you apologise to her. It was out of line.”

“I know.” Dinah says, “I mean, it was kind of therapeutic, in a way. But, uh, way out of line. And I’m sorry about it. I’ll apologise at soccer practice tonight.”

“Okay,” Camila nods. After a few moments of silence, she continues. “I never expected you to be okay with it. I knew you’d react badly and that’s why I didn’t tell you, even though I really wanted to. You don’t know how badly I wanted to gush to my best friend about the amazing girl I’d met. About my soulmate.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can listen to that.” Dinah says, because as much as she wants Camila to be happy, she doesn’t want to hear about her least favourite person in the world constantly. “I really don’t like her and I don’t think she’s good for you, but if she makes you happy, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“I guess I’ll have to prove you wrong there.” Camila says. “Because Lauren _is_ good for me. She treats me a lot better than anyone else. She was respectful while pursuing me and offered to back off immediately when I initially said I wasn’t interested. Granted, the not interested thing lasted about ten more seconds, but whatever.”

“Can we not talk about Jauregui?” Dinah interrupts, frowning. “I just said I don’t want to hear about it.”

Camila sighs, but nods her head. “Fine. I have to go, though.”

Dinah frowns as Camila picks up her tray and puts it in the trash. “Why? We’ve barely seen each other-,”

“That thing you didn’t want to hear about and I have a study date together.” Camila replies curtly. “I’m proofing her essay for her and she’s helping me with my music technology project. She’s the vocals on the track I have to produce.”

“Oh.” Dinah says. “Well, uh, it’s no big deal. I’ll see you later?”

After a few moments of silence, Camila nods. “Yeah. I’ll see you later.”

As Camila leaves, Dinah smiles to herself.

_Operation: Expose Jauregui as a cheater is a go._

-

Lauren hums happily as she makes her way to soccer practice. With Camila’s help, she’d managed to get one essay completely finished and a first draft for a different one. She’d also had a first listen of the song Camila had written and had to produce for her music technology class. She was a little worried about recording the vocals, because she’d wanted it to be perfect, and she hadn’t properly sung for a while, but it’d actually turned out to be really amazing.

All in all, she’s still happy this semester is coming to an end. She finishes unofficially on December 7th, because she doesn’t have classes on Friday, and she’d booked a flight back to Miami for the evening on the eighth for herself and Camila.

Even though she’d studied practically all day, it’s been good, because she was finally able to hold her girlfriend’s hand as she walks around campus, and nothing makes her happier than showing Camila off to the world.

She takes an earbud out as she gets to a road, and looks both ways before crossing. She gets to the other side, and out of habit, looks around. She frowns at the sight. Dinah Jane Hansen, looking like she’s trying her best to creep across the road.

Lauren raises her eyebrows in amusement. Honestly, it’s kind of comical, the way she’s creeping around like a cartoon villain. “What are you doing?”

Dinah freezes at the words and meets Lauren’s gaze, and Lauren feels like she knows the answer. “Nothing.”

 _Just following me_ , Lauren finishes in her head. “Well, uh, maybe you should get off the road. You know, in case a car hits you?”

Dinah scoffs, but doesn’t say anything, crossing the road normally. Lauren continues on her way to practice, aware of the other girl walking behind her at a slight distance. It makes her a little uncomfortable, so she stops, frowning when Dinah does too.

“Um, feel free to go ahead.” Lauren says, nodding in front of her. “I have to… make a call.”

“Oh, to one of your side hoes?” Dinah asks, and Lauren rolls her eyes. “Go ahead.”

“I find it hard to believe you’d want to walk to practice with me.” Lauren points out, mostly because she _doesn’t_ have to make a call, and she’d rather not awkwardly phone someone like her mom in front of Dinah. “So go.”

Dinah just stares at her, and Lauren sighs, fishing her phone out of her jeans pocket, dialling the first person that comes to mind.

 _“Hey, babe.”_ Camila picks up instantly. “ _Did you forget something in the library? I can run back, I literally just left.”_

“Um, no,” Lauren answers, “Dinah is stalking me? And I’m kind of-”

Dinah grabs the phone from her, and Lauren flinches a little when the other girl gets close to her. Honestly, that punch had really hurt.

“Ignore her, Mila,” Dinah says, “after a lot of thought, I decided that I’m going to make an effort.”

 _“Wait, really_?” Camila asks, and Lauren frowns at Dinah, wanting to know what her girlfriend is saying. “ _That’s really mature of you, DJ. I appreciate it. Did you apologise to Lauren yet?”_

Dinah sighs, and hands Lauren her phone back. Lauren puts it up to her ear, but when she hears two words from Dinah, she almost passes out, because there’s no way this is actually happening.

“I’m sorry.”

“ _What?”_ Camila’s voice comes through the phone speaker. “ _Did you apologise_?”

“Dinah just said sorry to me.” Lauren says, a little dazed. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“ _Oh, tell her I’m super proud.”_ Camila says. “ _Anyways, I have to go. I’ll call you after your practice and you can pick me up from your apartment. It’s date night.”_

“I like the sound of that.” Lauren answers. “I love you, Camz.”

She can practically hear Camila’s smile. _“I love you too, Lolo_.”

When the line goes dead, Lauren stuffs her phone back into her pocket and addresses Dinah. “I know you only apologised to placate Camila, but-”

“Like I said,” Dinah interrupts, “I’m sorry for punching you. It was kind of out of line and I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Oh,” Lauren is a little surprised the girl actually _meant_ it. “Um, well, apology accepted. I guess… if you want, we could… walk to practice together?”

After a few moments of consideration, Dinah nods. “Sure.”

Lauren is a little uncertain at first, but when a car comes by and Dinah doesn’t immediately try to push her in front of it, Lauren decides that maybe this could be good for everyone.

-

They fall into a weird routine.

Every time there’s a practice for softball or soccer, Lauren picks Dinah up and they go together, Camila in the backseat easing the thick tension that still hangs between them.

(Camila says it’s because she wants to see Lauren play, but it’s unspoken knowledge that that’s not entirely the reason.)

Dinah considers herself a good actress. She’s pretty sure she’s actually tricked Lauren into thinking they’re friends. Which they’re not, obviously. Sometimes Dinah finds she has to remind herself of that fact when she laughs at one of Lauren’s jokes or actually has fun tagging along when Lauren invites them all somewhere.

Camila is over the moon with the whole thing. She knows that it’s still a little awkward, but _all_ friendships are awkward when they’re in their infancies. She appreciates that Dinah is trying a lot, and Camila thinks that Lauren is starting to grow on her.

When they arrive at the soccer pitch, Camila excuses herself to the bleachers to watch the girls play. She really appreciates the nice view of Lauren’s ass in those damn shorts. It’s even better in her softball pants.

Camila doesn’t really know what’s going on in the game, because the team had switched to a game between themselves after doing drills that Lauren was leading. She doesn’t know who’s winning, and in all honesty, she kind of tunes out and stares at her girlfriend’s ass. She’s humming something to herself, a possible chord progression for the new song she’s writing, when one of the other girls knocks into Lauren, and Lauren falls back, hitting her head on a goalpost with a sickening _smack_.

Lauren is lying completely still on the pitch.

Camila’s eyes widen and once she snaps out of her shock, she bolts onto the pitch, not believing her eyes when Dinah is the first one at Lauren’s side. Under any other circumstances, she would’ve used that as definitive proof that Dinah is actually starting to like Lauren, but that thought doesn’t even come to mind, because she’s too worried about her girlfriend.

She crashes down next to Lauren, immediately going to shake her awake, because she’s out cold, but Dinah stops her. “Don’t shake her, that could be bad.”

Camila starts to freak out, not knowing what the hell she’s supposed to do, and when Dinah checks Lauren’s pulse, she wants to throw up, because if her girlfriend is seriously hurt or _worse_ -

That train of thought stops dead in its tracks when green eyes flutter open, and Camila feels relief flood her chest. “Oh my god, Laur, baby, are you okay?”

Lauren blinks and glances around, and Camila looks behind them to see the rest of the team and the coach gathered around them.

“We’re taking her to the emergency room,” Camila firmly announces, before she softens her voice and turns to Lauren, running her hand through her girlfriend’s hair. It comes away bloody and her anxiety goes through the roof. “Oh my god, Dinah, she’s bleeding-”

Dinah cuts her off. In a soft voice she uses only when she’s comforting one of the girls, she says, “Come on, Lauser. You’re tougher than this. Can you sit up?”

Lauren blinks, looking around, completely dazed. “What’s going on?”

“You- you hit your head,” Camila stammers, punctuating the silence with a hushed _oh god she’s bleeding_. “Um… Laur, baby, who is the President?”

Lauren sits up with assistance from Dinah. “Obama.”

“Um…” Camila exchanges a look with Dinah, “no, baby, it’s- uh, it’s Trump-”

“Not my president,” Lauren interrupts, rubbing at her eyes, and Camila thinks _there she is_. “Okay. Let’s play some soccer.”

“No way in hell,” Dinah shakes her head. “You’re going to the emergency room. Come on, up.”

Lauren stands up, Camila and Dinah assisting her, because Camila doesn’t know how dizzy she’ll be after a big hit on the head. Also, she’s fucking _bleeding_. “I’m okay- who has the ball?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Camila answers, leading Lauren off the pitch. “I think she’s cracked her head open.”

Dinah is quiet for a moment, and once they get Lauren in the back seat of her car, she swallows and reaches out. “Okay, I’m just going to check if your – oh _god_ – if you have a cracked skull.”

Lauren just blinks, and her gaze lands on Camila. “Camz, who won?”

Camila shakes her head, tears in her eyes, and the older Latina sends her a bright smile as Dinah checks her head.

“As far as I can tell,” Dinah starts, “the blood you had on your hand is from a cut just above her ear. I don’t know if it’s like… a crack, or… just a scrape.”

Camila sends a collective prayer to any known force that it’s just a scrape. “Okay, can you drive? I- I want to sit with her.”

“Of course,” Dinah nods, and Camila reaches into Lauren’s front pocket and grabs the keys for her. Once Dinah starts the car, Camila feels a little better, knowing that they’re going to get Lauren to a doctor.

Lauren stares out of the window. “Where are we going? I have practice.”

“Emergency room,” Camila answers, taking Lauren’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “You- you hit your head, baby.”

“Oh,” Lauren mumbles, blinking in surprise. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologise,” Camila finally lets out a laugh, “It’s not your fault you were hurt. But we’re just going up to the emergency room. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

“Okay,” Lauren absently replies. “Can I- can I sleep?”

Camila opens her mouth to say _sure, no worries, I’ll cuddle you_ , but Dinah interrupts. “No. You’ve got to stay awake. You had a pretty bad hit to your head.”

“Yeah, you did that,” Lauren comments. “But it was a while ago, so I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

To Camila’s surprise, Dinah actually laughs. “I’m not talking about that. You hit your head on a goalpost in soccer practice and it’s starting to become pretty obvious that you’ve got a concussion.”

“Oh,” Lauren answers, “alright then. Why do you care?”

Dinah rolls her eyes, and Camila tries to send her best friend a smirk, but it’s a little weak since she’s so worried about Lauren. “Because maybe you’re not as bad as I thought.”

Lauren smiles. “Thanks.”

Camila squeezes Lauren’s hand tightly. “Babe, we’re nearly there. Not long now before we get you looked after.”

Lauren’s smile drops. “Oh no.”

Anxiety flaring again, Camila is quick to answer. “What? What’s wrong, baby? Tell me, I can try fix it.”

“I think-” Lauren gags, and Camila blinks in shock, “I’m going to puke. Oh god.”

Dinah quickly pulls over, and Lauren fumbles with the door handle, thankfully opening the back door in time, and vomiting all over the sidewalk. Camila cringes – she’s never been good with sick – but rubs comforting circles on her girlfriend’s back and holds Lauren’s hair back.

“It’s okay, Lolo,” Camila murmurs, “you’re okay.”

“The hospital is just up there,” Dinah says, “we can walk her the rest of the way.”

Camila nods, and with Dinah’s help, they get Lauren out of the car. “Are you dizzy, baby?”

“Yeah,” Lauren murmurs, “Oh my god.”

They manage to get up to the hospital in one piece, and have to stay in the waiting room for around half an hour, one of the nurses giving them a bucket when Lauren announces to the entire room that she’s about to puke again.

When they finally get to see a doctor, he confirms what Dinah had already suspected. “She has a concussion.”

“What about the cut?” Dinah asks, reaching and tucking Lauren’s hair behind her ear, ignoring Lauren’s _ooh, romantic, Hansen_. “Is it just a scrape, or did she crack her head open?”

The doctor examines the wound, and after a few moments, Camila’s worry dissipates. “It’s just a scrape under a bit of dried blood. She’ll be perfectly fine in a few days. Are you both her roommates?”

“Uh, no,” Dinah answers, “Camila is her girlfriend and I’m her… friend.”

Camila smirks a little, her ability to make fun of Dinah returning full force, because she knows Lauren is okay.

“Okay,” the doctor nods, “if she lives alone, someone needs to stay with her. Preferably for the first 48 hours, just to look out for any problems or changes. She’ll need plenty of rest. We usually recommend to lay off any exercise routines for two weeks, which I assume she has because of her soccer uniform. No alcohol, either.”

Lauren scoffs. “Party pooper.”

Camila laughs a little, squeezing Lauren’s hand. “Guess we can’t throw our usual Friday night rager.”

Once they’re dismissed, they take Lauren back to the car. Camila squeezes her hand, staying in the backseat with her. Lauren rests her head on Camila’s shoulder. “Am I going home?”

Camila is about to say _yes_ , but Dinah beats her to it. “No. You’re coming back to our house. Doctor said you’ve got to have someone with you for the first 48 hours, and the only way that’s going to happen is at our place. It’s the weekend, so it’s not like any of us have classes, except my softball practice in the morning.”

“Our softball practice,” Lauren cuts in. “I’m the captain, remember?”

“Yeah, and you’re also inca… inc- what’s that word, Mila?” Dinah turns to Camila, but before she can answer with _incapacitated_ , Dinah says, “You’re sick, idiot. Doctor said no strenuous activities like _exercise_.”

“I have to go to practice,” Lauren argues, “I’m the _captain_. Coach might demote me if-”

“She’s not going to demote you because as much as it pains me to admit it, you’re an amazing player,” Dinah says, and Camila stares at her in shock. “Anyway, you’re coming back to our place and we’re putting you on watch. You’ll have four people at your beck and call. Surely you’d love that.”

Camila just smiles and brushes Lauren’s hair back. “How about we get you a nice bath when we get home, baby?”

“I don’t have a bath,” Lauren comments, “I just have a shower.”

“Yeah, but you’re coming to our place,” Camila points out with a smile, “listen, when Dinah sets her mind on something, she’s pretty determined. If she wasn’t such a Gryffindor, I’m pretty sure the Sorting Hat’s second choice would be Slytherin.”

“Damn, no wonder you don’t like me,” Lauren comments, “you’re a Gryffindor and I’m a Slytherin. That’s like, so stereotypical of you _gryffs_.”

Dinah just rolls her eyes, and Camila laughs. “You know, my secondary house is Gryffindor. Be nice.”

“Yeah, but you’re _not_ a Gryffindor, because you’re a Hufflepuff,” Lauren answers, “and Hufflepuff/Slytherin relationships are always the best. If you were a Gryffindor I never would’ve asked you out.”

Camila laughs and pulls Lauren close to her. “Enough with the Gryffindor hate. Cheechee, do you think Mani will be cool if we use you guys’ bathroom? I want to get her in the bath because I don’t like the idea of her going to sleep with blood matted to the side of her head.”

“Sure, Walz,” Dinah nods, “that’s fine.”

“Hear that, Lo?” Camila smiles. “We get to have a nice bath.”

“Camz, I’m concussed, not five,” Lauren answers, and Dinah snorts at the amount of _sass_. “Talk to me like you normally would.”

“Sass me again and I’ll give you worse than a concussion,” Camila retorts with a teasing grin. “Fear me, Jauregui.”

“ _Please_ , I could take you right now,” Lauren pokes her in the side. “You’re a weak ass bitch, Cabello.”

“Pretty sure you two beating each other up counts as strenuous activity too,” Dinah says, “you know, that thing you need to lay _off_ , Lauren.”

Lauren smiles, but it looks like she’s trying to fight off a cocky smirk. “Don’t tell me you’re actually starting to _care_ about me, Hansen.”

Dinah scoffs. “Don’t be so full of yourself. I care about the team, and if you go messing yourself up even more, we won’t win any upcoming games.”

Camila smirks. “So that’s what you meant by _I’m her friend_. Okay, sure.”

Dinah sighs. “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

“Nope,” Camila answers with a grin, turning to Lauren, “Lo, she likes you, I can tell. She just doesn’t want to admit it.”

“Fine, okay?” Dinah rolls her eyes and looks at Lauren in the rear-view mirror. “You’re not as awful as I thought, alright? Jesus fucking Christ.”

Lauren blinks in surprise. “Safe to say I hadn’t expected that. I wasn’t exactly trying to win you over. But, um, thanks, I guess. I’ve never disliked you, so I can’t really say the same… this is probably coming out really incoherent because my head is kind of cloudy but… yeah.”

Dinah doesn’t reply, and instead, pulls Lauren’s car into the driveway. “I assume she’s sleeping in your room?”

“Yeah,” Camila nods, holding out her hand to Lauren. “Come on, Laur.”

They get out of the car, and some of the dizziness must have worn off, as Lauren manages to get inside with just Camila’s support, and since Camila is pretty weak, she’s mostly just walking by herself. Camila takes her into her bedroom and gets the extra set of pyjamas Lauren brought last time she slept over, before she takes her into Dinah and Normani’s bathroom, locking both doors.

“Sit on the toilet while I run your bath.” Camila commands, and Lauren puts the toilet lid down and sits on it, watching her. “Do you want bubbles?”

Lauren snorts. “Duh. What kind of a question is that?”

Camila rolls her eyes, but runs the bath as Lauren asks. “Are you going to milk this injury as much as possible?”

“Maybe just to Dinah, I like that she’s being nice,” Lauren laughs, “no, I mean, I want to get back into my sports as soon as possible. I don’t want to lose any toning on my abs.”

Camila snorts. “Is that all you’re thinking about? Your abs?”

“Well, obviously I’m thinking about how lucky I was not to have cracked my skull in two,” Lauren points out, “and I don’t even know if I’m saying any of this right, because like I said in the car, it’s all cloudy up here.”

Camila laughs. “Strip off and get in the bath.”

“You really wouldn’t make a good caretaker,” Lauren comments, finally getting out of her soccer uniform and sinking into the bath with help from Camila, who is way too busy staring at her girlfriend’s body to actually _help_. “I’m good now. I’ll call you when I’m-”

“Um, no,” Camila interrupts her, shaking her head. “You can’t be left alone. What if you pass out and drown?”

Lauren sighs, but shrugs. “Stay then.”

-

When Camila doesn’t come out of the bathroom, Dinah is relieved. She knows that Camila can be forgetful, and had expected she’d come skipping out of the bathroom, and typically something would go wrong and Lauren would pass out in the tub and turn into the lady in 217 in _The Shining_ \--

Not that Dinah cares. No, of course she doesn’t. She cares about Camila, and Camila’s happiness. _Not_ about Lauren. She could never care about—

 _Lauren lying still on the soccer field_.

No, she doesn’t care. Nope. They’re not friends and they never will be. She’s pretty sure she swore to have her hatred for Lauren all the way to the grave.

_Lauren, dead in the bathtub._

Dinah shakes the gruesome image from her head with a sigh. Okay, so maybe she does care. Maybe she _is_ starting to see Lauren as a friend. But that doesn’t mean she has to _admit_ that.

She can be stubborn if she wants.

When Camila and Lauren finally leave the bathroom, Dinah ignores them. She flicks through the TV channels, watching them out of her peripheral, Lauren in pyjamas she’s never seen before and Camila leading her back through to her bedroom.

She sighs, because even _she_ has to admit that Lauren is a different person with Camila. _That_ person, Dinah likes. But she _knows_ the real Lauren is a cocky bitch, and even though she’s spent plenty of time with her recently, since she hatched the _catch her cheating_ plan, she’s come up with no evidence.

She finally accepts it. Lauren loves Camila, and Camila loves Lauren. There’s nothing she can do about it.

“Hey, DJ,” Camila peers out of her bedroom. “Would you mind sitting with Lauren for a little while? You can switch with Ally or Mani when they get in, but I need to run to Lauren’s apartment to grab some stuff for her and I want her to stay laid down.”

“Can’t she just borrow some of your clothes?” Dinah asks. “Or someone else’s.”

“Lauren’s a little bigger than me,” Camila points out, “I’d have to go there anyway to get Nala, so…”

“We’re not allowed pets here,” Dinah points out, “just stay here-”

“No, no, Nala’s not a pet,” Camila laughs, “It’s her stuffed animal-”

Camila is cut off by a loud _Camz, don’t tell her that_ from the bedroom, and despite herself, Dinah laughs. “Alright, fine, go. I’ll wait here with her.”

“Thanks, DJ,” Camila pounces on her in a hug, and Dinah feels like she finally has her best friend back. “I’ll be twenty minutes, tops.”

“See you in a little while,” Dinah answers, passing Camila to go into her bedroom. She grabs Camila’s desk chair, pushing the clothes off it, and wheeling it over to the bed. She sits down and clears her throat. “Alright, Lauser, I’ve got to sit with you until Mila gets back in case you drop dead.”

Lauren snorts, raising her eyebrows. “Lauser?”

“Yeah, your name, blended with your appropriate title; _loser_.” Dinah says, dropping some Tylenol on Camila’s bedside table. “Take those. Your head is probably killing.”

Lauren frowns at the pills. “Is this you finally finishing me off so coach will put you as captain?”

“Oh, shut up and take the painkillers,” Dinah scoffs, “maybe I’d do that to my actual competition, but-”

“So you _don’t_ think the only person better than you on that team is your competition?” Lauren smirks, and Dinah sighs, because she’s being cocky again, and that’ll make Dinah want to smother her with a pillow. “You’re _obviously_ delusional.”

“Shut up,” Dinah snaps at her, and Lauren blinks in surprise. “Just take the fucking pills, because if you don’t, Mila will get mad at me for not taking care of your stupid ass properly, and it’ll ruin whatever friendship we’ve rebuilt these past few weeks.”

“I’m only fucking with you,” Lauren pushes herself up on her elbows and swallows the two painkillers. “Like, I’m half serious, because the two of us could take the rest of the team in a match _easy_ , but I’m only messing around. I thought we were starting to be friends.”

Dinah scoffs before she can help it. “ _Us_? _Friends_? You’ve got to be kidding me. That stuff I said in the car was to appease _Camila_ -”

 _Lauren, laying still on the soccer field, blood oozing from her head_ -

“- _fine_ , okay, maybe you don’t annoy me as much as you used to,” Dinah relents, shaking that _awful_ image from her head. “But don’t think that’s going to stop me from telling everyone you sleep with a stuffed animal.”

“Hey, no, don’t expose Nala,” Lauren pouts, “she’s my best friend and she likes her privacy.”

“I _wish_ I had that on a recording,” Dinah sighs wistfully, “then everyone would believe me that you’re a total loser who _needs_ a toy like some five year old.”

Lauren snorts. “So that Simba in your locker _isn’t_ yours?”

Dinah freezes. “How do you know about that?”

Lauren smirks at her. “I saw him peeking out before our last game. If I recall correctly, you kissed him on the head before the game started.”

“You’re- you’re the worst,” Dinah lamely responds, “I was just holding him- _it_ for a friend.”

“Sure, and I’m the President,” Lauren counters with a grin. “I won’t tell, damn. Just don’t tell everyone about Nala or I’ll get my revenge.”

“Fine,” Dinah sighs, “you know, I’m not mad about the whole thing between you and Camila anymore. You guys love each other and there’s nothing I can do to change that, so…”

Lauren sends her a tired smile. “Good. Because I love her so much. She’s pretty.”

Dinah shrugs. “You’re not cheating on her?”

“No,” Lauren answers, shuffling in the bed. “Why would I do that? She’s my soulmate. Like I’d screw that up.”

“Okay then,” Dinah answers, “hurt her and I’ll give you more than a concussion.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Lauren murmurs, “I know how much you care about her and it makes me happy that she has such good friends. But I promise you, I’m here as long as Camila will have me.”

Dinah opens her mouth to reply, but there’s a knock on the door. “Dinah, are you and Mila in there? I was thinking about ordering takeout and we can have a girls’ night. What do you think?”

Ally pushes the bedroom door open, takes one look at Lauren bundled up in Camila’s bed, and Dinah _not_ smothering her with a pillow, and her jaw drops. “Am I dreaming?”

Lauren laughs, and Dinah rolls her eyes. “This idiot hit her head and got a concussion. She’s not allowed to be alone for forty-eight hours in case she passes out and dies. Mila’s gone to her house to get her some things because she’s staying here.”

“Oh,” Ally stares at them, “are you two… friends now? Because I know you’ve been in the same room with me, Mila and Mani and not killed each other, but alone? That’s weird.”

“Dinah said we’re friends in the hospital and I doubt Camz is going to let that go,” Lauren answers for her, shifting in the bed. “I’m not, either.”

Dinah rolls her eyes and stands up. “Anyway, now you’re here, you can take care of her annoying ass. I’ll be napping-”

“Actually, I can’t,” Ally says, “I’ve got an essay to write. Sorry, Lauren. Guess you’re stuck with Dinah.”

“No worries,” Lauren smiles. “Camila should be back soon anyway. I don’t live too far away from you guys.”

Ally smiles at the two of them, and ducks out of the room. Lauren shifts a little, glad she’s taken the painkillers, because her headache is starting to subside. Her side hurts from her fall, and she could really go for a hot water bottle, but she feels like asking Dinah for one actually _will_ get her smothered with a pillow.

Unfortunately for her, she shifts uncomfortably and cries out on reflex, and Dinah genuinely looks concerned. “What? What hurts?”

Lauren pauses for a moment, reluctant to tell her, but eventually answers. “My side.”

“Shit,” Dinah curses, “maybe we should’ve asked the doctor to check if you had a cracked rib or something. Why didn’t you say anything at the hospital, you idiot?”

“It’s just bruising,” Lauren says, a little surprised by the concern. “I’ll just wait until Camz gets home and she can get me a hot water bottle.”

Dinah rolls her eyes and calls Ally back into the room. “Hey, before you get started on studying, can you make her a hot water bottle? I’d do it, but I can’t leave her by herself in case she drops dead or something. Not that I’d care if she did, but I don’t want Mila hating me for letting her girlfriend die.”

Ally turns to Lauren with a look that reads _can you believe that bullshit_? And Lauren can’t help but laugh a little. When the eldest girl exits the room to make a hot water bottle, Lauren turns to Dinah. Instead of teasing her, she decides to ask a heavy question. “Do you really hate me? Or, well, did you? Because I’ve never hated you. I know we have our rivalry, but I’ve never had any actual hard feelings towards you.”

“I did,” Dinah admits, and Lauren decides that it kind of stings to hear. “But I don’t anymore. I hated the cocky bitch who walked around thinking she was better than everyone else. I don’t hate who you are with Mila. But hurt her, and all of that hate will come right back, I promise you that.”

“I won’t hurt her.” Lauren murmurs. “I swear it. Camila’s the girl I see myself marrying, and I don’t even know why I’m telling you this because you’ll just make fun of me for being sappy or something-”

“I think it’s kind of… sweet,” Dinah says, “besides, she seems like she’s in it for the long haul too.”

“I hope she is,” Lauren murmurs. “I really hope she is. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I have to thank you for being mature about it. I know you freaked out at first which was to be expected, but you actually started making an effort to be okay about it and I really appreciates that. I know she does too.”

Dinah’s stomach drops with guilt, because the only reason she’d acted okay with it was because she’d wanted to catch Lauren cheating. And if she _wasn’t_ , which Dinah knows she’s not… she was going to try and get her in a situation to make it look like she was. The only reason Dinah had acted okay with it was because she’d wanted to break them up.

Now, she’s not so sure.

“I can’t take the credit for that,” Dinah answers her, “I was going to try and break you two up. I know that’s immature now and I won’t do anything to come between you. I meant what I said at the hospital. You’re my friend.”

“I want to be co-captains,” Lauren announces, “in soccer. Coach picked me because I’ve had experience captaining before. But you’re the better player.”

Dinah blinks in surprise. “I just admitted I was trying to break you and Mila up and you’re offering me a _co-captain_ position?”

“I have a feeling you wouldn’t have gone through with it.” Lauren sends her a small smile. “You couldn’t have done that to Camila. To me, maybe, but not her.”

Dinah shakes her head. “Are you sure about this? Or is it your stupid concussion speaking?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Lauren admits. “I mean, I have a lot on my plate right now with my classes and captaining two teams. I think it’d be cool to have a little help with soccer and you’re easily the best player on that team. I’d kick your ass at softball, though.”

“You two remind me of two straight guys comparing dick length,” Camila says as she walks into the room, throwing Nala over to Lauren. Dinah finds it hard not to think it’s kind of adorable when Lauren kisses the top of the cub’s head and cuddles it to her chest. “Talking about which one of you is better at which sport. Anyway, China, you’re free from your Lauren-sitting duties.”

Dinah lets out an obligatory puking noise when Camila leans down and kisses Lauren. “So, um, can she sleep?”

Dinah shrugs on the way to the door. “She can, but you’ve got to wake her up every couple hours. Make sure she’s not dead. Ally’s in, by the way. If you guys are hungry, I think she’s going to order takeout later when Mani gets in.”

“Sure,” Camila nods, “Just, uh, knock on the door when you’re thinking about getting food.”

“Oh, and no fucking,” Dinah says, “no strenuous activity, remember?”

Camila blushes bright red, but Lauren just cackles in amusement. Dinah shoots her best friend a teasing grin before she heads out of the room.

-

It doesn’t take long for Lauren to recover, to Camila’s relief, but from that point onwards, she stays over at Camila’s house with the girls more often. Before, Camila had restricted their sleepovers to Lauren’s apartment, and while they go there when they want their _privacy_ , they hang around the house, too.

Camila is in her element, because she finally gets to hang out with her best friends and her girlfriend at the same time. She’d always felt like she wasn’t doing enough, when Lauren’s friends were so accommodating to her at the start of their relationship, but she knew her friends would shun Lauren if they knew, but everything is how she’d wanted it to be.

While Dinah bickers with Lauren, it’s not scathing like it used to be. They still have their rivalry, but it’s friendly, and Camila loves cheering them both on when she goes to the games. Even though she _still_ has no idea how both of the sports work, she’s got a grasp of how to tell who’s winning, mostly just because she can read Lauren’s emotions.

Her favourite time is definitely after a soccer match or a softball game, especially if Lauren and Dinah’s team won. While Dinah heads home with the girls, Camila goes to Lauren’s apartment and they have some time alone, before meeting up with the other girls for celebratory takeout and drinks. Even when Camila moves out in her third year to live with Lauren, the tradition sticks.

When Lauren graduates, Camila is an emotional wreck. Granted, she cried a lot over Ally’s graduation too, and technically _half_ of her tears are over Normani graduating as well, but it’s the thought that counts.

“Would you stop?” Dinah nudges her. “Graduation is over and it’s not like Lauren is going anywhere. You’re literally going to go home tonight and she’ll be sat on the couch watching TV. Did you forget you _live_ together?”

“I- it’s just the end of an era or something,” Camila mumbles through her tears, “like a chapter is closing.”

There’s a loud snort behind her, and Camila turns around to see Lauren stood in her graduation cap and gown, sending her a teasing smirk. “Dinah’s right, babe. You really don’t need to cry.”

“I’m proud of you, okay?” Camila shrugs, collapsing into Lauren’s arms. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Camz,” Lauren smiles. “But stop crying, okay?”

Camila nods, wiping at her eyes. “Okay.”

“Well done, Ralph,” Dinah says, “Looks like you didn’t flunk out.”

“Like I ever would,” Lauren grins, “are we having drinks and takeout tonight?”

“Don’t you want to go out and get drunk with your friends?” Dinah frowns, and Camila’s grip on Lauren’s hand tightens as if she totally opposes that idea.

Lauren shrugs. “You guys are my friends. I can go clubbing with Keana and Lucy any time.”

Camila doesn’t stop crying all the way home, even though she’d said she’d try to stop. She can’t help it, she’s an emotional person, and she’s just so unbelievably proud of her girlfriend.

-

Lauren has plans to propose on their five year anniversary.

She’s known that Camila is the one for a long time, but she never wanted to propose because she felt like they were too young. But she’s twenty-five now, and she’s one hundred percent certain that she’s ready for marriage. She’s ready to start her life with Camila.

But, because she doesn’t trust herself to be around Camila without spilling, she avoids her girlfriend for the better part of a week. She’s minding her own business, doing the grocery shopping and thinking about what she’s going to say to Camila, when someone slaps her.

Lauren blinks in surprise, but when she meets Dinah’s gaze, she laughs. “That’s a throwback. Hey, D. What’s up?”

“What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing?” Dinah glares at her, and Lauren’s expression sinks into a frown. “If you’re going to break up with her, just _do it_. Don’t avoid her and make her worry like this. You know she’s had anxiety problems in the past and-”

Lauren’s eyes widen and she’s quick to make amends. “Oh my god, no, I’m not breaking up with Camila. I’m- uh, doing the opposite, actually.”

Dinah shakes her head. “Don’t bullshit me. You wouldn’t avoid her if you weren’t-”

“I’m going to propose,” Lauren blurts out, and Dinah stares at her in shock. “Tomorrow. On our anniversary. I couldn’t be around her because… I mean, I don’t trust myself not to let it slip.”

“You’re going to propose?” Dinah stares at her, as if she doesn’t quite believe it. “Show me the ring.”

“I- uh… can I finish my grocery shopping first?” Lauren asks, but Dinah grabs her by the arm and pulls her out of the store, so Lauren takes that as a no.

“Sorry for slapping you,” Dinah says, “Mila told me she thought you were going to break up with her.”

“Well, technically I am,” Lauren pauses in thought, “she won’t be my girlfriend anymore. She’ll be my fiancée. If she says yes.”

“Trust me, she’ll say yes,” Dinah answers, “You’re going to propose.”

Lauren laughs. “Why do you keep saying it like that?”

“It’s just… I can’t really believe it,” Dinah says, “I can’t believe _Mila_ is the first one to get married and not _me_.”

Lauren grins, but shakes her head. “She’s the only one out of you guys who’s in a serious relationship. If you want someone to marry so bad, go on Craigslist.”

Dinah gives her a light shove. “Shut it, Jauregui.”

When they get back to Lauren and Camila’s apartment complex, Lauren gets the ring from her hiding place and opens up the case, showing Dinah the diamond ring inside.

“She’s going to love it,” Dinah assures her, “Oh my god, it’s beautiful. I wish I was gay, just so my potential fiancée would pick a good ring for me. Guys have no taste with that.”

Lauren just shrugs. “Mani’s available.”

-

Lauren is on edge for the entirety of their anniversary. Camila insists on going out to lunch, and it takes everything in her not to propose right then and there in McDonald’s, but she’s saving it for after dinner. She’s saving it for something special.

She takes Camila out to a romantic dinner on the evening, and the younger Latina seems completely carefree. Lauren wishes she could be like that, but as the minute she’s going to ask the question gets closer, she’s terrified. _What if she says no_?

Once they finish their meal, Camila suggests going home with a little smirk, and while usually Lauren would be one hundred percent on board, she shakes her head.

“I’m taking you somewhere,” Lauren says, and she grabs Camila’s hand. “It’s not far, I promise. We can walk.”

Camila frowns, but she plays along. “Okay.”

Lauren walks them towards the NYU campus. They’d both graduated, but it’s important that they’re there. She walks them all the way to the English building, thankful that it’s unlocked, but the foyer is empty.

“I was stood right here when I saw you for the very first time.” Lauren says. “It was the second week of my sophomore year, and I was stressed because one of my professors had emailed that we were having a surprise test in class, and the subject we were on was the one part of my degree that I _hated_. I was ranting to Lucy and I turned around and there you were. You looked lost, and you probably were, because it would’ve been your second week at college. I remember I looked at you and felt calm, and I didn’t understand why.”

“Obviously, now I know. You’re my soulmate.” Lauren smiles, and Camila pulls her down for a kiss. “I got an amazing grade on that test, completely out of nowhere, but that wasn’t the best thing about that day. The best thing about that day was that I found you.”

Lauren sucks in a deep breath, and shakily gets down on one knee. Camila’s jaw drops and she stares at Lauren with wide, tearful eyes. “I didn’t know how much you’d mean to me. I didn’t know that you’d be the only person I could _ever_ see myself with. But now I do. So… Camila Cabello… will you marry me?”

“Oh my god, Lauren,” Camila stares at her, and Lauren isn’t sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. But then she’s nodding, and holding out her hand. “Yes, yes!”

Lauren slides the ring onto Camila’s finger, and Camila pulls her up, guiding her straight into a kiss. “I love you so much.”

“Oh my god,” Camila repeats, looking down at the diamond ring on her finger. “Lauren, we’re getting married. Oh my god.”

“Yeah, Camz,” Lauren kisses her _fiancée’s_ cheek. “We’re getting married.”

-

Dinah is Camila’s maid of honour at the wedding. Six years ago, she would’ve dropped dead at the thought of her best friend marrying Lauren Jauregui. But now, she sees her best friend marrying her _other_ best friend, and feels nothing but happiness for the both of them.


End file.
